Sermons by Pastor Rob Henderson

DISCOVERING ANSWERS IN GOD’S MERCY

2011-08-10T07:51:00.001-04:00

Sunday August 7, 2011

Daniel 2:16-24

Have you ever found yourself in a difficult situation and had to try and figure out how to get yourself out of it?

I came across this sign from Glendora Friends Church: "God's mercy is no excuse for careless living."

How easy it is for us to get careless in the way we live, behave and make choices because we are counting that God will extend mercy to us and bail us out. On the one hand, though, I need God's mercy for me to live the kind of life of holiness I am called to live. On the other hand, though, I am to be a responsible believer in Christ who is not putting God on the spot.

I've found myself in my share of problems that defied answers. Like the time I disobeyed my legal guardians when visiting my girlfriends. The roads were still icy and I wanted to go to see her- otherwise I might just die! They told me in no uncertain terms that I was not to drive the car anywhere else but straight to her farmhouse and back. The side roads were too unpredictable. So what did I do? I drove my hot girlfriend around and all of a sudden found myself spinning in circles and plunking my 1974 Vega right into a ditch on River Road.

So what do I do now? We logically called her parents but her dad was gone and her cousin Joe was gone as well. I have no money to pay for a wrecker- unless I call home. I have no means of pulling the car out of the ditch- unless I call home. I have no means whatsoever- unless I call home.

I was in deep trouble! I honestly believed that God played with my life in those moments that felt like hours. Everybody that stopped were just making sure we were okay. And the only ones that acted like they might help us seemed to be more intent on kidnapping us- at least they seemed that scary.

Finally, who comes trucking down the road but cousin Joe! PTL! He hooked the chain up and had that little gutless wonder of a car out of the ditch in no time. My life was spared! I would live to have children.

Now that seems like a great story of mercy and perhaps so. I was in a situation of which I was totally out of control but yet had put myself into. I could credit God and rightfully so- but I also should recognize my disobedience as well.

The situation Daniel and his brothers found themselves in was one of incredible complexity. It was not of their own doing that their lives were in danger. Here King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that is perplexing and he wants an answer. "Well, King, tell us the dream and we'll give you an answer," his Chaldean priests and magicians told him. I think that's fair. How would I like it if you showed up to my office and said, "Pastor I have a problem and I need your help." "Yes, my brother, I'll help you. What's the problem?" "If you can really help me then you tell me what my problem is." I would think you're nuts if you expect me to help you with your issues and not give me some information.

The king does this though because, well, he's the king and he can make the rules. This endangers all of the priests, magicians and royal workers- including Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The king was not satisfied and so the killing has begun.

Word quickly gets to Daniel. He appeals to the king and buys some time. But he knows the situation is grave with a king who seems to have this "god-complex."

And so we pick up the narrative and see that…

God's Mercy Extended by the King.

The Chinese Bible scholar from the 1940's, Witness Lee, wrote this in his book "Life Study of Romans": "Our going on with the Lord is a matter not of our willing or running, but of God's mercy. Our willing is of no avail, and our running is in vain. God's mercy, however, works in a wonderful way."

How easy it is for us to think that we have the power and the stamina and everything needed to get through the troubles in life! What we need is God's mercy and oftentimes God's mercy is exemplified by others in our lives.

For Daniel, for his Hebrew buddies and even for those who hate him, God's mercy is extended to all of them by the king. And without the king realizing it.

Isn't that amazing? Just when a godless world may think they got beyond the reach of God he chooses you use any one of them to enable His purposes and His will in the life of His people and especially in these days, in the life of the Church.

My wife's cardiologist has been used over and over to save her life and they are Sikhs from India. When she was in her coma a few years ago the lead doctor seemed to scoff about my people "doing what they do best and that is to pray." On and on we can go about how God uses people to further his plans. Look at the Israelites and the favor they received from the Egyptian people prior to the exodus- they gave the Israelites gold and jewelry; items they would need for negotiations and purchases as they journeyed into foreign territory.

Amazingly, so often God is in such control of circumstances that he is able to reach down and move the hearts of those in our circumstances. And I want to assure all of us that regardless of state we find ourselves in, God has not abandoned us. He uses the foolish and simple to confound the wise and he will surely do what he must in your life and those around you.

Something else that is at work behind the scenes is this:

God's Mercy Prayed for by Friends.

One of the greatest comforts for my family over the years has been the joy of knowing that you- our family and friends- have been praying for us. We have never questioned if you care enough to pray. We know you do.

And I would hope that any of us realizes that as a family we stick together best through prayer. We may disagree, we may frustrate one another and we may irritate each other but when the devil messes with any of us he messes with family.

Daniel knew he could count on his friends to be praying. We know that there is a difference between care and prayer.

To care is to acknowledge your trouble; to pray is to take your trouble to God.

To care is to identify with you and your problem; to pray is to identify the problem with Christ's suffering.

To care is to be there the best we can; to pray is to ask God's presence to be there because he can be there all of the time.

Mercy is what we all long for and we all long for God's people to be in prayer on our behalf.

Something else we see happening is of utmost important for every Christ-follower:

God's Mercy Blessed by Praise.

I love what the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10- However, as it is written: "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived"—the things God has prepared for those who love him— ¹⁰ these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

God does not desire for us to be in the dark about Him and his character. God desires that we not simply know him in more ways than knowledge but to know God in relationship.

Wisdom & Power belong to God. I love to meet people in high places. I love to read the things people in high places have written. I love to know people in high places. How cool is it to be able to say that you've had a personal meeting with Dr. Joanne Lyon? Or have sat with Dr. Tom and Vangie Armiger at a dinner? But that's nothing in comparison to the relationship that is ours with a God who possesses ALL wisdom and power. What we earthlings possess is nil in relationship to Him.
Ultimately in control. The world teaches us to be the kind of people and leaders who pull strings and make things happen. We celebrate people that do that; buy their books, go to their conferences and quote them in sermons. Democrats and Republicans do everything they can to influence elections and increase their own power in politics- but they are not in control. God is in control. And I don't know about you but I would much rather know and believe that God has control of the circumstances of my life- my life in the scope of eternity. I may not understand the details and the problems but I do know that I don't have to fear because God has it all taken care of.
Giver of Revelation. I cannot really know God in a relational manner unless he reveals himself to me. God shows us through his word, through sermons, through various means HIMSELF. God used a burning bush to get Moses' attention, a donkey to direct Balaam and a big fish to get Jonah on the right track. The question is: are we listening when God speaks? C.S. Lewis made this point: "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
Giver of Spiritual Life. Daniel says in verse 23- "I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers." He recognizes that unless there were those spiritual leaders before him he would not be where he is today. When was the last time you thanked God for the blessing of spiritual heritage that you partake of as a result of some man or woman long before you who travailed in prayer and gave of themselves in Christian service so that you might know Christ personally?

Daniel's prayer reveals so much about God and his personal mercy for Daniel and for us as well. In this case, God chooses to give Daniel the answer that he needs in order to work in the ways that he does.

God's Mercy Answered through Prayer.

Most forget that eventually King Nebuchadnezzar turns his heart to God. This occasion was used as a means by which God uses to breakdown the king and bring him to a place of humility. God gives Daniel the answer because God has a greater goal in mind than that of saving Daniel's skin.

We must put life's situations within God's context of his eternal purposes. I would much rather see a man die of cancer and go to heaven than live a healthy life with the cancer of sin and go to hell. In the long run let's give God the benefit of the doubt and simply trust him.

How do you and I live a life of mercy received and mercy given?

Know that you are not alone. We all are in need of God's mercy. We are fragile human beings who are frustrated by the struggles of living. Life takes its toll but we are in the same boat as so many others. But an even greater truth is that God is in the boat with you.
Mercy can be ignored and lost forever. How often have any of us witnessed people who were given the mercy of God and yet ignored the God who extended the mercy?
Mercy can be given, received and change us forever. The kind of mercy God gives is life-changing: when you receive his mercy your whole world becomes different.

And I suppose that is where the heart of the answer to life's difficulties is found: mercy. When God reaches his hand of love into our soul and saves us from sin we become different people.

How will you utilize the mercy of God that has been extended to you?

Romans 8:28-29

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whohave been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

Whatever your problem of pain and suffering, whatever your past sins- WHATEVER it is in your life, God wants to take those things or that one thing and work for the good. Why? Because you are called according to the purpose of his full salvation. Our goal is to have healing, enough money or the strength to endure; God's goal is that we would made more and more like his Son Jesus Christ. Our goal is to not suffer anymore; God's goal is that you would know what it is to share in the fellowship of Christ's sufferings. Our goal is to be more comfortable; God's goal is for us to have a clear conscience.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

2011-08-10T07:46:00.001-04:00

Sunday July 24, 2011

Daniel 11:32-33

As Christians, we often live in tension with the world around us. Jesus taught us that we are "in the world but not of this world'' (John 18:36), we are sent into the world to preach the gospel, baptize new believers and disciple (Matt. 28:19-20; John 17:18). Yet, while we are in this world we are to remain unpolluted by it (James 1:27). We are to be obedient citizens of earthly governments (I Peter 2:13-17), yet at times we must choose to "obey God rather than men'' (Acts 5:29; 4:19).

Like other people who are not saved, we face similar issues that they face: physical debilitations, financial shortcomings, emotional roller coasters, temptations and the like. And, once again, we face these situations with a different perspective because we have the love of God residing in our lives and we are filled with hope by the Holy Spirit.

Because of such tensions, difficult questions arise. Why do the righteous suffer? Why do we feel as though God has abandoned us? What do we do with the human suffering that we see others face and at times we face.

While grappling with questions like these, we can draw insight, strength and encouragement from the stories of God's people through the ages who have dealt with similar issues. In the scripture text before us, the background is found in one of the books that is very common to the Roman Catholic Bible- the Apocrypha that speaks of such an incredible story. It comes to us from the second century B.C., a time when faithful followers of God faced severe persecution, and the future of the Jews as a distinct people seemingly hung in the balance. I shared a bit of this story from the book of First Maccabees last year some time.

Daniel 11:32-33- ³² Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. ³³ And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering.

Now I realize that as Wesleyans and Protestants that we do not utilize certain books as Biblical authority such as our Roman Catholic friends down the road. However, Bible scholars and even Wesleyan Bible scholars have made use of them in historical research.

First Maccabees covers a period of a little over forty years in Jewish history, beginning with when King Antiochus IV ascended to the Seleucid throne in 175 B.C. to become the Syrian royalty. This book concentrates on the exploits of one priestly family-Mattathias and his sons Judas Maccabeus, Jonathan, Simon, John, and Eleazar; Simon and his son John Hyrcanus.

Mattathias's sons, known collectively as the Maccabees, rescued the Jerusalem temple from pagan hands and eventually gained political independence for the Jews. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which provided political and spiritual leadership for Israel that was leading towards the time of Christ.

We must understand, as Francis Schaeffer pointed out in one of his books, that we live and make history. True, your life and your battle against evil likely will never reach the annals of world history, American history, Michigan history, Oceana Count history but they will be reviewed on the day of judgment when God judges all of humanity and our hearts. We are making history even in very small ways to the world but in huge ways to our family members who watch our every move, to those in our friendship circle, to the Church and the community.

What Daniel writes in these verses and those before and after, is a prophecy. He has received a vision about the future of God's people. Remember, Daniel and his friends have been taken captive to Babylon. They are basically slaves to a different nation due to the sin of God's people. However, a day is coming when they will have their nation back again. And when they do there will be challenges that will come their way. These Jews who stood up against the terrible persecution and desecration of the Temple worship that they participated in was part of this vision that Daniel speaks of.

And I cannot help but believe that this prophecy is not only intended to speak of the Maccabees and their revolution to restore Israel and maintain the true worship of God, but also for us as we face struggles and frustrations in these last days. As I was pecking out the beginning stages of this sermon I called the Hilliard home and learned of the news that their 38 year old son's cancer has grown.

And I wondered then: "How in the world do you answer this, preacher man, as you speak about overcoming obstacles?"

All of us face obstacles of various kinds and at different times that we are called on to overcome:

Spiritual development- knowing Christ, growing in Christ and sharing Christ
Physical challenges- surgeries, injuries, healings, sicknesses, disease
Financial limitations- lost jobs, loss of income, not enough income, increasing obligations
Trials, temptations & tribulations- tests of our faith, temptations to sin, all out persecution of our faith in Christ.

And then we as a Church face obstacles to being everything God calls us to be. We must face and overcome:

Congregational energy- We need people whose best years- physically- are behind them; the younger ones of us battling "schedule fatigue" (getting Christ and his church in the right priority). We're all busy but what are we busy with? God's ministry needs people to "work 'til the night is coming" because the "fields are white with harvest."
Church membership- We need people willing to take the next steps and give of themselves totally to the advancement of God's kingdom. We need younger people to be willing to surrender of themselves and step up to a new level of not only Christian living but also of Christian service.
Structural concepts- refreshing the ways in which we do ministry especially with the reframing of how Manantial de Vida will operate. The way we do church is critical to fulfilling our mission.
Ministry growth- Seeing the Lord add to our number "daily those who are being saved." (Acts 2:42) There are great things happening among our young people and their children that involves our kids ministry. But there are also other areas of ministry that need attention so that we can see Church growth.
Financial obligations- Procuring the necessary resources we need to fulfill our commitments. Too often our treasurer is having incorporate accounting gymnastics to make sure things and people are paid for. You want to know what us pastors say to each other about money issues? "If everyone tithed there would be no financial shortage."
Faith that God is still at work. Sometimes we can begin to feel as though that because we aren't the church we used to be that we cannot become the church that we ought to be. I don't say this with a wagging finger

Of course, I could go on and on. In fact, some of you are probably adding a few others that you are doing. But the point is that there are obstacles to overcome both personally and corporately.

All of these challenge our faith whether they be life-threatening or not.

Sure, we are not in the days of the Maccabees where the Jews were offered both opportunities and temptations due to the new Greek society that had been impressed on them and the world by Alexander the Great. On the one hand, Jewish thought ultimately was greatly enriched by certain Greek concepts. A prime example is the Greek idea that "the hidden law governing the entire universe is divine reason, logos, and the moral task of humanity is to live a life of conformity to this divine reason, which is the law of ethics as well as the law of nature'' [Torah 5]. Jewish thinkers, beginning with the author of Sirach in the early second century B.C., identified the underlying universal law as God's Torah (see especially Sirach 24). In this way, the Greek concept led to the exaltation of the God of Israel and the promotion of his inspired word.

On the other hand, Greek influence- more commonly called Hellenism- created temptations for God's people to compromise certain aspects of the Law by creating questions similar to the serpent and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We are always on dangerous ground when we start questioning in the wrong way the Biblical principles and values that strengthen our faith. For the Jews in those days they began to abandon the boundaries concerning the Sabbath; families did not have their sons circumcised, and they began to introduce things to their daily food that Old Testament diet laws forbid. These issues, especially, set them apart as a unique and distinct people.

But you know how things go. By remaining separate from the Gentiles, some reasoned, Jews were missing out on the wealth and prestige afforded by Hellenism. But then on the other hand, but involving themselves with an outside culture they reaped benefits but also endangered their faith.

We face similar issues. For some, receiving government assistance bothers them because they feel beholden to the government but yet also realize that for survival's sake they need to do something. We want to believe by faith in God for healing and yet we also put ourselves in the hands and sometimes at the mercy of doctors and hospitals in our search for healing and a better quality of life.

However, there are lines that we realize we must not cross.

How do we as 21^st century Christians who not only believe in Jesus Christ but strive to follow after him? The first aspect of overcoming obstacles is this:

KNOW YOUR GOD.

Let's consider the second half of Daniel 11:32- "but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits."

Are you a person who knows your God?

So often we can find ourselves simply content with reading our devotional scripture and calling that good. However, as a child of God you need to know Him more and seek Him more.

To know God is the highest and best form of knowledge. There is a human thirst to know something- even the things we should not know. Humanity prides itself on its learning capabilities. Charles Spurgeon said in his sermon concerning this passage: "…strive with diligence to learn more and more of the higher Truths of God."
To know God means that I am going to know His Son. My life verse is actually two verses together in Philippians 3:10-11- I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings becoming like him in his death and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection of the dead. I have experienced in my life the joy of knowing Christ. Not that I feel like I have achieved everything set out for me, but I can tell you that even in my toughest times, I want to know Christ.
To know God calls for me to experience the filling of His Holy Spirit. It is only by the leading of the Holy Spirit that I am able to learn spiritual things.
To know God requires of you to study His Words. There is a Biblical illiteracy among Christians that is rather embarrassing. Our culture no longer views the Bible as something sacred but just another book among many books. You might be saying, "I read the Bible but I don't understand it." That is the time you seek the Holy Spirit's assistance but also you need to get involved in a Bible study where a Spirit-led teacher is able to guide you.

There is something different about the person who knows their God. There is a confidence of faith that is unshakeable even in the face of the most dire of circumstances. I pray that you would be that person who knows their God in a very real and personal way. (Oftentimes it becomes more real and clear during the furnaces of life.)

Not only does Daniel point to the people who know their God but tells us about their character and what our character should be:

BE STRONG IN THE LORD.

Let's look at our scripture text again: "but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits."

The Apostle Paul seems to echo Daniel- whether he intended to do so or not- by saying in Ephesians 6:10- Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Knowing who God is gives us a confidence of faith.
Our confidence of faith gives us victory in battle.
Our victory in battle testifies to the power of God.

The power of God is the work of the Holy Spirit.

LIVE BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

"but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits."

How do you feel about carrying out great exploits? Kind of scary, huh? Who does God think we are? Indiana Jones? Zorro? The Lone Ranger?

Let's check out Galatians 5. This particular chapter is one of those key chapters in the Bible that is very important to every believer about how to live the Christian life. Now if you don't want to mark in your Bible, I understand. But I believe every Christian should have these verses highlighted in some way in their Bible as well as in their heart:

Verse 16-18 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whateveryou want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Verses 22-25- ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Again, some feel awkward about this and that's okay. Take time to write these verses out and post them in your bathroom mirror, on your refrigerator and anywhere else that you might see them on a regular basis.

For God's people, the power of God is proven through the power of the Holy Spirit as he works in and through our lives. Whatever we face in life we can still live a holy life that please our Lord. Wherever we find ourselves we can be overcomers with power. Whenever the problems arise and the obstacles show themselves, we will not be hindered because "…there is more with us than be with them- we're on the winning side!"

When we face obstacles we will win every time with the Holy Spirit empowering us. In the world's eyes and by its standards they might see us as losers. But in the eyes of God and in the eyes of those who are being saved, victory is not found in physical healings, financial gains or emotional highs but is found in the believer who lives by faith, who loves their God and neighbor and is filled with a hope that is not found in this world.

CONCLUSION- The Word of our Testimony

So how do we win in a world controlled by sin? We win by the testimony of our lives. We may lose court cases, we may lose our health, we may lose money and resources, we may even lose our lives but we will not lose our citizenship in the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ as long as we 1) Know our God; 2) Are strong in the Lord; and 3) Live by the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Notice what happens when God's people like you and I take serious our faith in Christ:

³³And those of the people who understand shall instruct many…

We tell and teach others God's ways

Revelation 12:11- They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Be so in love with God that you will not deny him in the face of dangers or in the midst of stardom. Be so filled with his strength and power of the Holy Spirit that in spite of the turmoil all around you will stand firm and your faith will remain unshaken.

At District Conference I and others received a wrist band that simply says "Overcoming Obstacles." This is the theme of our District this year and I plan to get into a bit of what Pastor Tom spoke about.

This is a reminder to me of my commitment to overcoming obstacles by the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the one thing that God spoke to my heart about was overcoming negativity in my thinking because it affects my faith. What's interesting is back in May I had projected that today's message would be titled "Overcoming Negativity." This week I changed it to "Overcoming Obstacles" because so many of you are facing difficulties to overcome and we as a Church face them as well.

What obstacle lies in front of your faith today? Are you willing to surrender yourself to God and say, "With the help of the Holy Spirit I will fight the good fight of faith and overcome the obstacles that lie in front of me. I will get to know God better and as I do I will grow stronger in my faith in Jesus Christ and I know that the Holy Spirit will be able to do great things through my life for the glory of God."

If so, come forward, make your public commitment to God and receive this wrist band as a reminder of the commitment you are making to God and to yourself.

Overcoming Moral Dilemmas

2011-08-10T07:43:00.001-04:00

Sunday July 31, 2011

Daniel 1

In your life you will face moral dilemmas in which you are called on by God to obey. What those challenges will be are in a large part the character development of who you are- or more likely who you used to be before coming to Christ by faith.

When we come to Christ something begins to change in our life. A character development begins to happen that shapes who we really are in Christ Jesus. Without Christ how can we be expected to do otherwise? Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And if you do not have Christ in your life, you in danger of making choices that will not honor God.

Daniel and his three companions had been carried from the royal palace of Jerusalem by an enemy country. Can you imagine if you were captured and taken to Iran to serve in the government there? How would you respond to the moral implications that would certainly arise?

Dr. Shlamo Sher of the University of Southern California and the Levin Institute for Humanities and Ethics wrote an interesting article from which I have drawn a few thoughts to aid in this message today. He says that the process that leads to effective moral action and decision making can be roughly divided into three components:

Moral awareness. This is the process of identifying the ethical issues involved, the parties who have a stake in the action, what is at stake, and what the action options are.
Moral judgment. This is the process of weighing out the ethical considerations that bear on the situation and determining the moral course of action.
Acting in accordance with that judgment. This is deciding that the right thing to do is not enough. One still needs to form the intention to do the moral thing and deal with the practical obstacles in order to act effectively.

Realize that just as God's people such as Daniel and the other three Hebrew boys were facing a moral dilemma that they needed to overcome, so do God's people in the 21^st century.

Overcoming Obstacles of Self.

Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself. (NKJV) Daniel resolved not to defile himself (NIV)

Before any of us can truly live a life of good conscience before God and humanity, we must be willing to settle certain moral aspects in our own heart and life. It's not good enough to say, "Well, when the time comes I'll stand for what's right." No, you have to be willing to purpose in your heart as Daniel did to stand for what's right now.

This is not always easy. But if you overcome the hurdle of self-interest before God you are on your way.

The idea that is set forth in verse 8 is very important for us to understand. Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself. What was the problem?

The Babylonians thought very highly of their royal workers of which these young men were captured to be a part. This meant that they would be fed the best of food that this pagan nation had. Nothing wrong with that. They had these young men's best interests in mind. The problem was that the food of the Babylonians included items that were against the dietary laws of the Jews. To indulge in these foods was not only to eat something that was forbidden but also food that had been offered to idols and to participate in this would be to honor these pagan deities. Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not compromise his values by being untrue to God's call of commitment.

Now I have to admit, not being a Jew, I have a hard time understanding exactly what's going on here. If I'm in a prison starving to death I'll eat just about anything- I've heard enough stories about starvation and the extent people will go to survive. However, these guys were not going to participate.

So how do you develop an inner character that honors God with outer actions?

First, understand the magnitude of consequences. If "borrowing" money from your company with the intent to pay it back (at least you tell yourself that) and you know it's wrong (because this is called embezzlement), understand that there will be consequences for your deceit if it is discovered. You may be reprimanded at best, fired at the least or arrested at the worst- depending on the severity of the issue. People go to prison all the for something that should have been easily avoided.

Second, understand the concentrated effect of your actions. Most sin always affects other people and not just the sinner. But so often a person cannot think of a whole lot more than themselves. Think about those that will be disturbed by your sin.

Third, understand that there is no victimless sin. Someone becomes a victim of your behavior. If I lie to my wife to cover up where I have been then she becomes a victim of my deceit.

And then understand that your relationship with God is on the line. What does the Bible consistently teach about our relationship with him? That God is a holy God and that he desires his people to be holy and obedient to him. Not out of fearful fear but out of loving respect.

Overcoming Obstacles of Authority.

He asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.

I've told the story but it's worth telling again: When I worked for Long John Silver during my college days in Florida, we needed a water hose to do our clean up outside. The other one burst and was of no use. Well, a water hose was not purchased in a timely manner. Then one day I came to work and what do you know? A water hose was hooked up and ready to be used. In conversing with other employees though, I discovered that this water hose had been stolen from the nearby pizza joint.

I was suddenly confronted with a moral dilemma. Do I continue to use the water hose at work knowing that it was a stolen water hose? After all, I didn't steal it. But my conscience wouldn't hear of it. Finally I confronted the crew one day and told them I would not use the water hose- period. And if someone didn't do something about it then I would take the water hose back over to the pizza joint and apologize for our company. Of course, there were some murmurs but nobody objected. They knew what was right.

What happened? The next day I came to work the water hose was back over to the pizza joint and we had a new one.

Nazi Germany engaged in willful behavior that sent millions of Jews to gas chambers. The atrocities against other human beings was horrible. After the war, countless German leaders and followers were convicted and hanged for their crimes against humanity. Many of them attempted to use the authority defense- I was only following orders. Nobody got off the hook (unless they escaped or committed suicide).

Daniel was respectful to his authority. We must do the same. However, he was firm about his conviction. This allowed him the room to carry out a deal whereby they would take ten days and prove that by eating fruits and vegetables instead of McDonald's there would be a difference.

And they were proved correct.

Sometimes we just simple need to stand up for what's right and allow the Holy Spirit to take over. If you get fired so what? Your relationship with God is intact. Besides there are other jobs out there. If you don't get that promotion, big deal. Better to be promoted in the kingdom of God than to be demoted.

Overcoming Obstacles of Conscience.

Please test your servants for ten days.

There is particular dilemma that faces so many in our time that is referred to in common psychology as "moral disengagement." Moral disengagement is when you see a particular moral question set before you and decide that you want something that you should not have. What do you do? You justify your actions and participate in something you should not.

For example, a man may find himself involved with pornography. You know that pornography is wrong and yet you will find ways to disengage your conscience from the action. You may feel that your wife is ignoring your needs or that the stress of life needs a stress relief and so you deliberately choose to take on a temptation that otherwise remains just that- a temptation.

What are the obstacles to having a clear conscience?

Justifying your actions. A person may feel as though what they are doing is not wrong. For example, a worker may take pens from work that they know are not theirs to take. They may justify their actions by simply saying, "Well it's not like they pay me enough." Or "It's not like I'm stealing a car!"

Some will shift the blame to others. They will see others do that same thing and think that it's alright because others are doing it. They see themselves as part of a team that is not really doing anything that wrong.

They may trivialize their actions and move on.

They may dehumanize the target. "Well, my boss is such a jerk. He won't give me the raise I deserve so I'll give away free food instead of charging for it." "Look at how much money they make? They won't miss it a bit."

Rewarding your sacrifice. A leader- yepper, including pastors, sadly- may feel as though they deserve a little reward for all the sacrifice they are making for their family or their company or their church. And so a little porn flick isn't hurting anyone. What they don't realize is that the consequences of sin have far-reaching affects whether anybody ever knows or not. God knows and it does bring harm to the relationship.

Social dominance orientation. Huh? This is the idea that certain individuals will embrace myths and ideals in order to carry out their actions against others. For example, whites will blame Mexicans for the lack of jobs; Mexicans will blame blacks for the problems of the inner city; blacks will blame whites for the problems of poverty and racism. Throw in the Oriental immigrants and the newcomers from Europe and elsewhere and you have a hotbed of racial tension. We then use the myths and ideals in order to discriminate against others or even commit crimes against others.

So where do we go from here?

Overcoming Obstacles with Action.

The king talked to them and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

These young men were willing to back up their beliefs with action. What about you? Are you willing to back up what you truly believe to be true in your heart with the outward action of doing the right thing for the right reason?

We've probably have all heard the story of the little boy who is put into the corner as a punishment but he tells his mother that in his mind he's pretending to be playing in spite of being in the corner. This is called cognitive dissonance and too many people practice this all of the time.

Jesus taught us that where your heart is there your treasure will be also. He taught us as well that if a man looks on a woman with lust he has committed adultery with her or if a man hates his brother in his heart he has murdered him.

We might argue that this is crazy talk or we might recognize that Jesus was wanting to get right to the heart of the matter: for us to have a right relationship with God calls for us to be absolute in our obedience and following of him. After all, Jesus shows us exactly what it means to be truly human.

So how do you overcome any obstacle you face in doing the right thing whether it be self-interest, authority or conscience?

First, confess your sins to God.

Second, resolve to be changed by God.

Third, face the consequences honestly.

Fourth, walk forward in the power of the Spirit.

God is Doing a New Thing

2011-07-22T07:46:00.001-04:00

Seeing God's vision for me, my family and my church.

Sunday July 17, 2011

Habakkuk 2:1-4

¹ I will stand my watch
      And set myself on the rampart,
      And watch to see what He will say to me,
      And what I will answer when I am corrected.
² Then the LORD answered me and said:
      " Write the vision
      And make it plain on tablets,
      That he may run who reads it.
       ³ For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
      But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
      Though it tarries, wait for it;
      Because it will surely come,
      It will not tarry.
       ⁴ " Behold the proud,
      His soul is not upright in him;
      But the just shall live by his faith.

1 Corinthians 2:9

But as it is written:

      " Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
      Nor have entered into the heart of man
      The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

www.biblegateway.com

The opportunity of a lifetime. One day at Arby's in Muskegon when my children were very young my wife was handed a card intended for me. Apparently some gentleman in a suit and tie watched my behavior with the employees- the typical joking and such that I like to do from time to time with strangers. He was impressed with my articulation, my interaction and how I was outgoing. He told Naomi that I would be 'perfect for the new business venture" that he had started.

So I called the dude. He came to my residence and picked me up for a business meeting. The business was called A. L. Williams and the work was selling life insurance policies. But here was the catch- you made money when you recruited other people.

Here was the opportunity to be on the ground floor of a new business. The problem I had was the murkiness of what my role would be besides trying to recruit other people. I was beginning to discover that rather than starting on the ground floor of a new business, I was the ground floor along with so many others who were looking to make money.

I have sold newspaper subscriptions for the Muskegon Chronicle, sold the "Book of Life" for Zondervan's and was even approached about selling for Amway.

What I have learned is that the key to anything you do involves hard work. You have to settle in your mind that whatever it is you are doing you need to enjoy it (first of all) and be willing to do whatever it takes to succeed at the venture.

And there will be missed opportunities in your journey into the future. But…

Life is full of new opportunities. I have watched as young families have begun to populate Family Camp and the newness that this brings to our District as Wesleyans. Young couples with young children establishing their homes and involving themselves with ministry. There are churches who have opportunities come their way and they take full advantage and see tremendous growth and vibrancy take place in their ministry.

There is not a person here who has not lived the old mantra, "You win some- you lose some." The problem is that we can find ourselves wondering at the end of our days "what if" we had done things differently. "What ifs" can haunt us to the grave.

I have approached this morning's message much like William Wallace did when he let his fellow Scotsmen into battle with the very idea that someday when they get ready to die would they wish for this one opportunity to fight the English for the freedom from tyranny they longed for?

Would we someday look back- would I as a pastor and you as laity- look back and see that this is the ideal time for the fight of a lifetime and see God do amazing things in our presence that we only read about in books and hear old-timers talk about over coffee? There will be missed opportunities- that cannot be avoided since we are human beings striving to process the mind of God through our human minds. Yet there will also be new opportunities to more than make up for the missed the ones. Somehow in God's gracious providence and sovereignty, he does not easily give up on us and in moving the church forward.

So the question begs to be asked: What is God calling us to at this juncture of ministry in the history of Shelby Wesleyan Church? And as a backdrop to this, what is God calling you as a man or woman of God to reach towards that transforms your family into being the godly Christian home that we desperately need in these days.

So how do you in your life and family life see a fresh vision from God that will take you to another level of Christian living? And how do we see our Church- Shelby Wesleyan Church- see a fresh vision from God that will allow us to see the Holy Spirit move in our church and into our community.

Habakkuk gives us a great learning curve to work from. Notice a few ideas that are important to you getting a fresh vision for our Church ministry and for our life and families.

ONE: LISTEN to God.

Are you listening to God?

The Prophet Habakkuk was frustrated with his situation. He was watching the demise of his country as they were being attacked by the enemies not so much because the enemies were bad people but his own people were bad people and they were facing punishment.

These are days when we need to listen to God in ways maybe we had not in the past. As a church ministry we need to listen to God. I can tell you that right now in my spirit I need to get away and be alone for a few days so I can listen to God. There are a lot of things on my mind about our Church and the next steps that need to be taken.

Ask God for his specific vision and unique calling for this ministry, at this time in history and for the target group that we have established.

For you as parents and grandparents, as aunts and uncles, you need to be in tune with God. Raising our families is not an easy task. Taking care of the family responsibilities costs us something. We need to be in prayer constantly and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

TWO: STUDY others.

We all have role models that we look up to who have set a course to follow.

For Naomi and me we had people who set an example of godliness and good parenting. I want to be clear though: none of them were perfect. And let's be real: we all have clay feet at some point or on some issue. What we have done is strived to glean from them the qualities that would enhance our home ministry.

And that is just it: you are developing a home ministry. And to do so you need vision for your family.

What about us as a church? We should not be afraid to look to other churches, ministries, Biblical characters and leaders who have been given clear God-given visions. We cannot copy their vision but you can learn from them how to discern and put into words what God is laying on our heart.

For those of us as families and for us as a church family we must not be afraid to ask God to ignite within your heart a fresh vision of his will.

One day it struck Naomi and I in one of our late night conversations after our small children were put to bed (and probably had threatened them to get them to go to sleep). We talked about the possibility of them going into the ministry. Little did we know then that God was giving us a glimpse of his plans and purposes for our children. And in so doing create within us the necessary responsible choices that we knew would impact our kids.

Each one of us is a role model. You set the example for others to follow. The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians, "Follow me as I follow Christ."

THREE: BE PRAYERFULLY PATIENT.

The answer may take some time
as God helps you (and us) develop the ideas by the Holy Spirit's leading. How God works is mysterious and yet he never fails to answer the heart cry of his people for leadership.

Habakkuk was typical of the prophets of his time who sought for an answer from God that he then could pass on to his people. He lived and preached during the days of King Jehoikim- a very evil king of Israel. Sin was rampant everywhere. The enemy was closing in. What was God up to? Habakkuk went to his place of prayer- the "rampart" which was a high place that was secluded where he could listen to God.

We need to go to that place of prayer. We need to find that place as moms and dads as well as grandparents. We need to seek out God for answers that affect our families and so that we know what we must do.

And it is just as important as a church that we approach God with prayerful patience. We live in a time that we need God to be at work unlike any other time in history. However, we don't want just anything to happen- we want God to show up and change lives.

Many of us remember how God got a hold of Charity's heart through Child Evangelism Fellowship. What many of you don't know is the turmoil going on in the hearts of her parents as we battled those teenage battles with her rebellion. We prayed- maybe not enough- and we tried- maybe not enough and then saw God intervene and work.

Some of you were instrumental in seeing her come to Christ in more than a verbal way; she came to Christ in spirit. Not because of what any of us did but because of God.

Habakkuk reminds us of being patiently prayerful. "The vision is for another time" tell us that not everything we pray for is going to come immediately. God may grant a vision of what is going to take place but there may very well be a time frame.

A few years ago a couple of our ladies commented to me about a dream they each had. In their respective dreams they saw this church filled to overflowing for no apparent reason or special occasion. The perception they had was that this was going to be a regular church service.

We have not seen this vision fulfilled… yet. And I will grant that the vision God has for a ministry has a lot more to do than just numbers. The picture we seek is also a quality picture as well of us achieving our potential as a church.

Perhaps the next thought might help:

FOUR: TEAMWORK IS THE KEY.

Jesus once said, "Where two or three are gathered there am I in their midst." This is critical to our discernment. We need each other for clarity as well as God's involvement. Certainly as the pastor I will carry a lot of influence to the table- that is to be expected. However I also believe in the prayer lives of many of our spiritual "grandmas and grandpas" who commune with God on a daily basis. The dreams of the old men must not be discounted in light of the visions of the young men.

Husbands and wives need to be a team. Moms and dads need to be a team. Church boards and church committees need to be a team.

We are in this together and we need to work together as a team. Children learn early to divide and conquer; the devil knows that this holds true with church people as well.

Habakkuk was told what to do with the vision once he received it:

FIVE: WRITE YOUR VISION.

You might be thinking: "Oh, c'mon, Pastor Rob. Why would I do that?"

Well, to start with, God told Habakkuk to write out the vision.

The family life guru, Gary Smalley, has for years spoken to families on how to create a contract between each other, especially when our children become teenagers. This way your children are able to give their input and it allows the family to actually become accountable to each other. Put it in writing so that every family member has an understanding of what the family is all about. This also avoids the dominance of one member over the rest whether it be one spouse over the other or even the "hard-headed" teenager whose actions are bringing grief to the rest.

Furthermore as a church we must keep track of how we are doing things by putting what God leads us to do in writing. What happens when we do this is that it allows us to become accountable to what we have agreed that God has called us to do as a church. This then creates an atmosphere of integrity to God.

SIX: REMEMBER THE VISION.

It's too easy to run off to another project or get sidetracked onto something else. We must always remember what God has called us to and keep ourselves sharpened for the overall task. Furthermore, coupled with our core values we are able to keep the ministry on track and in the right direction.

For you as a family member what God is calling you to as you develop. It is critical that as parents we remember the high calling of holy living and making a difference in our church and world. It is critical to remember the importance of every action and attitude makes a difference in our child's heart and mind. They will imitate what they see far more than what they are told. The old adage is too often true: More is caught than taught.

We must remember that there was a time when God spoke to your heart about Christ. We cannot forget how our Lord led us on eagle's wings out of a life of sin and into the arms of Christ. We must remember the high calling to a life of love that is ours.

SEVEN: PASS ON THE LEGACY.

For Habakkuk, he was giving the message to a runner who would then carry the answer on elsewhere. For us, we are setting up a ministry that will give way for other ministries, ministers and whatever else God chooses to develop from this vision.

He was also told how this particular vision would be for a future time. Little did he know that his words would ring throughout the age of the Church concerning salvation by faith.

For you as parents pass on the vision of holy living and love to your children. Pattern for them the ways of holiness and godliness in all humility. For us as Christians we must pattern for each other these qualities as well as call others to share in the vision.

Naomi and I take very seriously our role as parents and now grandparents. Everything we do impacts our kids. What is interesting is that they recognized our short-comings as parents and realize that in parenting there is not perfect way but there is always a loving way.

And in the same sense for us as a Church, there is no perfect way to managing our ministerial pursuits. We are human beings with very human minds striving to interpret the wisdom and truth of the Holy Spirit. This means that we will allow Him to lead us into all truth. He will never get it wrong but we just might.

So what do we do?

Habakkuk 2:4 is a very key verse that still speaks to Christians today: "But the just shall live by his faith." Our calling as Christians is a life of faith in Jesus Christ for salvation but just as important it is the calling of living a life of faith in God in everything we do.

We pass this vision on as we move forward into ministry as a Church. We have an untapped potential to greatness that does more than hold the fort; we have a potential to reach areas of ministry we cannot hardly dare to imagine.

Daniel 11:32- "…but the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits."

That great exploit for you as a family and we as a Church can be as simple as serving a meal to a stranger and as complicated as raising a teenage daughter! I say that tongue in cheek but the greatest thing we can do for our children is leave them a legacy that will lead them to eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Conclusion: Reaching for the heavens!

When we become heavenly minded God throws in the earth as well. (Cal Thomas)

We don't know yet what God has prepared for us. For you are parents and grandparents, for you as aunts and uncles, for all of us individually we don't know yet what God has for us. And far too often we fall short of God's very best. I know I have been guilty not so much of selling myself short but selling my God short.

And the same holds true for us as a Church ministry. We don't fully realize that when we reach for the heavens something wonderful will happen. Ministry will begin to shape differently as the Holy Spirit convicts men and women, boys and girls, neighbors, friends and enemies of the sin in their lives and they are born again. And when we become heavenly minded about our work on earth.

I love Philippians chapter 3. And there is one particular verse that I want us to notice (v. 14):

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Remember the Apostle Paul's quote of Isaiah 62:4 that we read as part of our scripture text earlier:

⁹But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

And guess what? We may never see the fullness of our prayer and vision come to pass. Some of us if not all of us will die, be buried in the grave and await that final trumpet as our efforts come to fruitfulness in the hands of the children we see around here and the people of our community who are not yet believers and followers of Jesus Christ.

Let's do a new thing for the glory of God by the power of the Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ!

RECLAIMING OUR POINT OF REFERENCE

2011-07-03T13:41:00.001-04:00

Jeremiah 8:18-9:11; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Galatians 5:1

There is a desperate need in America for us to be a people who acknowledge the wretchedness and evil pent up within our American soul and realize the absolute necessity that we reclaim a measure found outside of ourselves. Not a comparison of our educational standards to other nations; not a comparison of our technological and medical discoveries to other countries; not a comparison of our governing style to the United Nations; but a comparison to the absolutes of God's character and the holiness characteristics that once made our nation great.

"The old America had the mind to sift through these strengths and harness them. The new America finds itself without a point of reference." (Zacharias, Deliver us From Evil p. 39) We don't know who we are anymore because we have lost our purpose as a nation.

I say this gingerly, as an American Indian. The American history is riddled with unholy acts and atrocities. But yet, understand that these were corrected by a court system that meted out justice. For example, many of the tribal properties in Michigan and elsewhere were essentially stolen from tribal families either by coercion, inappropriate trades or just plain old theft. However, when brought to the U.S. Courts, time and again the Tribes were dealt with fairly and with justice.

We are not, however, a "theocracy." A theocracy is a nation that is ruled directly by God. If you want a good example of a theocracy you have to look no further than some Muslim nations that impose religious law on everyone- at least in public. The Taliban that ruled Afghanistan before 9/11 were so dominant that people had to bury televisions in their backyards.

I don't want that kind of government. I don't want a Christian government ruling our nation. When Christianity gets political power there is trouble. However, how about Christians bringing Biblical principles and values into their work as politicians? How about Christians running for office, changing laws that reflect proper moral justice? How about us as Christians just simply living a life of perfect love for God and perfect love for people?

Introduction- Jeremiah as the Weeping Prophet.

If Isaiah is the thundering prophet then certainly the next prophetic writer in the Bible is Jeremiah as the Weeping Prophet. Jeremiah lived a life of incredible paradox: a

Jeremiah sensed God's constant presence and yet felt oftentimes that God was far away.

Jeremiah loved his countrymen and yet hated the sin that was separating them further from God.

We can have feelings much like Jeremiah. We sense his constant presence and yet we see the suffering of our friends, neighbors and family members and wonder "where is God?"

We love our nation and yet grieve because of the lostness of our nation who seems to more and more turn their backs on God and his ways.

How can we reclaim our point of reference as a United States of America? How can we see our nation return to God? How can we endure in times like these?

The Problem of Truth Decay.

One of the great habits that my daughter is teaching my grandsons is the concept of brushing their teeth. Every night they love to suck the bubble-gum flavored toothpaste and chew on their toothbrush. The idea is to develop a habit that will keep their teeth intact not only as children but for a lifetime.

We all realize the need for tooth brushing to avoid tooth decay. In a similar sense, we need to engage in a regular habit of developing certain spiritual disciplines that help us to avoid what we might call "truth decay."

Truth decay is so prevalent nowadays that a new word was coined a few years ago called "truthiness." It's not that something is true, it's just "truthy." In the movie from the 80's- "The Secret of My Success"- one character's comment rung too honestly then and seems to be just as so today, "There is no right or wrong, only opinion."

In our day much as Jeremiah's four tragedies that promote truth decay:

The People were no longer people of truth.
They did not speak truth to God.
Friend deceived friend.
They lost their sense of guilt.

We must reclaim a sense of truth that makes us honest before God, honest to others and, especially, honest to ourselves.

The Fulfillment of Truth and Consequences.

Make no mistake about it: we live a life of truth and the blessings of God will pour out from heaven. We live a life of un-truth and there will be consequences. Our prisons and jails are full of people who ignored the truth of the law; many more live in prisons of there demise because they have chosen to ignore God's Word.

Throughout our scripture text we saw glimpses of God judgment on the nation of Israel who had ignored God and ignored obeying his truth. Jeremiah begs God, "Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away." (v. 19a) he saw judgment coming much like many of us have a hard time seeing our great nation continuing to turn from God without some sort of consequence.

Truth is an important ethic to live by. Without truth we celebrate life in a sea of falsehood and lies. For us as Christians we grieve very similarly as Jeremiah:

Jeremiah grieved over the lostness of people in their sins. We grieve for so much: friends and family with cancer, deaths, diseases, broken bodies; we grieve for the tragedies in society- the loss of life to senselessness, the loss of right and wrong, the loss of our moral compass. Sin is tragic whatever the capacity. It's one thing when we suffer due to things beyond our control but quite another due to our own doing.
Jeremiah grieved over the judgment as a result of their sins. Payday someday. Galatians 6:7- "Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap." This comes to us nationally, corporately as a church and most definitely individually. We cannot do sin and live a life of lies without punishment. Are we as Christians grieving not only over the lostness of our neighbors but are we looking in the mirror at ourselves?

Jeremiah can no longer hear the sounds of animals in the woods and mountains. Chapter 9:10-11 describes the desolation and the place becoming a haunt of jackals.

Jackals were wild scavengers who prowled the remote places, living off of leftovers- the scraps and carcasses of the dead animals. The land was becoming quite literally a place of darkness, death and destruction not fit for human beings.

The Falsehood of True Lies.

Falsehood in Family Life. Spouses lying one to the other or to each other; children being disobedient to their parents not so much out of childish behavior as out of a rebellious heart. Or as one movie quoted a few times: "You can't spell families without lies."
Falsehoods in Public Life. Advertisers love to lie about their product to get you to buy it. How many of us have been roped into purchasing something that did not live up to its advertising?
Falsehoods in Politics. Need I say a whole lot more?
Falsehood in Education. I used to get so frustrated about the lies the evolutionists tell in our public schools. It's not so much of me being against the evolution theory- fine, teach it- but at least be honest about it.
Falsehood in the Church. This is an even greater tragedy above all- when church members ever engage in falsehoods- lying about others in order to elevate one's self or worse yet, lie about someone to drag them down.

So where do we go from here? What must we do?

Restoring Truth to Everyday Life.

What will change our world is when nations such as ours is changed by through Jesus Christ- the power of the gospel message that Jesus saves and transforms. What will change our nation is when communities such as ours is changed by the power of the gospel message that Jesus saves and transforms; and what will change our communities is when the Church- with Christians such as us- are truly changed by the power of the gospel message that Jesus saved and transforms the human heart.

I am convinced that when the world out their sees us truly loving God and truly loving others as our self, then there will be an unleashing of the power of God that a lot of us haven't seen in years or in our lifetime.

So where does our responsibility come into play?

Repent for our own untruthfulness.
Become people of truth.
Grieve over untruth.
Be filled with love in truth.

We cannot expect government to legislate morality unless the Church is living up to its own expectations. We will never see the kind of change in our world unless we as Christians are living the life of Christ in the world.

Is there no balm in Gilead?

Conclusion- A Balm in Gilead

Outside of Israel to the east in what is now modern day Jordan, there was a type of plant that produced a balm that was often used to treat wounds and burns. This balm of Gilead would be comparable to the aloe vera balm you might keep in your medicine cabinet.

Jeremiah asks the questions, "is there no balm in Gilead?" He recognizes that there is nothing to heal the wounds of sin. He grieves over the lostness in such a way to recognize that no matter what he does, how long he prays that nothing is going to save the people… except God himself.

Jesus similarly grieves over the lostness of his people and he came to do something about it. Jesus gave his life so that his people- not just the Jews first but also us Gentiles- could enjoy this power of salvation.

Our Balm of Gilead is the precious blood of Jesus Christ that comes to our aid in forgiving our sins and giving us a new life- a new way to live.

Now we have a reason to pray and to help our world. Silver and gold have we none but what we have we give to them. The prayer for healing for our nation begins with us. We cannot cede this elsewhere. We have what the world needs- we have the love of Jesus Christ. We have the medicine that will heal the wound of our people.

And in the words of the Apostle Paul from Galatians 5:1- "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

Set us free, O God, that we might live a life pleasing to you and a blessing to our neighbors. Help us by your Holy Spirit to love you with all of our heart, mind, body and soul. And help us to love our neighbors- our husbands, our wives, our children, our grandchildren, our relatives, our neighbors next door and down the street. Help us to love all Mexican people, black people, white people, American Indian, mixed races and the life. Help us to live a life of perfect love for you and experience the power of the gospel in everything we do. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Bunion Surgery Recovery

2011-07-03T13:38:00.001-04:00

Wow, who would believe bunionectomy and the second toe being shortened would be so painful!?

Here's my mistake if anyone is interested:

Right after surgery on Thursday June 16 my wife drove us to Lansing area because the next day I was to have a wedding rehearsal and then the wedding on Saturday. Terrible mistake!! I should not have done the surgery. Most painful experience of my life and I could hardly focus on my pastoral duties.

Then, on Wednesday- still hobbled up with the surgical boot- we got our twin toddler grandsons for the next five days. Another bittersweet event! Besides them standing on my foot, bumping my foot, touching it, walking into and all the things that go with having toddlers, I was in tremendous pain and was not able to help my wife with them.

After dropping them off to their parents, my wife gets sick and ends up in the hospital! So my husbandly responsibilities draw me to the hospital 35 miles away each day.

To top everything off, I wrenched my back out! The clumping around finally took its toll.

Needless to say my doctor's response to my pain is I have to stay off of it. The burning and pain is barely bearable but I do sense improvement.

I'll keep trudging along. This next week looks busy but hopefully I can keep off of it as much as possible.

We'll see.

Am I Living a Life of Power?

2011-03-21T11:15:00.003-04:00

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sunday March 20, 2011

What would you say if I told you that when you leave here this morning you will leave with something that will put you on the road to solving all of the problems in life that you face? I'm serious- no kidding around.

In our text this morning the Apostle Paul is telling his brothers and sisters in Christ that he is praying that they would see God in a way that defies the normal. He wants them to see something of God that engages their spiritual eyes with their experience with God. He wants them not only to see God but to also know God. And in knowing God they- us as well- learn God's wisdom and understand God's revelation. I truly believe that these intuitive steps will lead you into a journey of spiritual power that you may not have realized was at your disposal.

The same holds true for us. And so this morning, in as best a form as I can share, I want us to consider the question: Am I living a life of power? To live this kind of life of power from the Holy Spirit calls for us to be clear about Paul's prayer for the Christians in and around Ephesus and that has been engaging Christians for numerous centuries; this is the same power that raised Christ from the dead is now at our disposal in order to live out Christ's life into a dark world.

POWER AT YOUR DISPOSAL:

BATMAN POWER ELECTRICITY HUMAN STRENGTH NOTHING RUNS LIKE A DEERE!

What kind of power are you dependent on? How about the Holy Spirit filling you with his power. How can this be pastor? Well, I've got good news for you today.

What was the Apostle Paul praying for? First, his prayer is that you and I would have…

The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation.

Something that we often forget is that the Holy Spirit has been at work long ago, especially in the Old Testament times. We know that the Spirit "hovered" over the waters of a formless and void earth- depicted in Genesis 1:2. We also know that the Spirit would come upon various people of the Old Testament such as Samson in order to give him special strength in a particular moment.

Isaiah 11:2 prophesies: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. (KJV)

According to the Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament there are few thoughts to be considered:

"The Spirit of Jehovah" is the Divine Spirit, as the communicative vehicle of the whole creative fulness of divine powers.

They also suggest that the Divine Spirit is composed of three characteristics: the first relates to the intellectual life, the second to the practical life, and the third to our direct relation to God. In their understanding the Hebrew word chocmâh which is translated wisdom is the power of discerning the nature of things through the appearance or what we perceive to see. And then the Hebrew word bı̄nâh which is translated understanding (or revelation) is one who possesses the power of discerning the differences of things in their appearance.

This is not a natural common sense that we might think of but rather a working of God's Spirit in our heart and mind.

Barnes May make you wise to understand the great doctrines of the religion of the Redeemer.

Here in Ephesians 1:17 Paul is expressing in his prayer that Christians everywhere reading this would know what the Holy Spirit's wisdom is for our lives. Not a common sense kind of thing or an intellectualism but a true wisdom that comes from God.

The writer of Proverbs depicts Wisdom in this manner (Proverbs 1:20-22): Wisdom calls aloud outside; she raises her voice in the open squares. She cries out in the chief concourses; at the openings of the gates of the city she speaks her words: "How long will simple ones love simplicity? For scorners delight in scorning and fools hate knowledge. Turn at my rebuke; surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words know to you." In the next several verses Wisdom responds to those who have refused the call to Wisdom as well as disdains the counsel that Wisdom offers. In verse 28 Wisdom then replies to rejection: "Then they will call on me but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently but they will not find me. [Why?] Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord… (33)But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure without fear of evil."

For us as followers of Jesus Christ we need God's Spirit of Wisdom in our everyday life. When we have his wisdom by which to live and operate our lives, something energetic happens within our spirit.

But we cannot stop with just having the wisdom or eyes of the Holy Spirit. We also need His revelation so that we can have understanding.

That is, revealing to you more and more of the character of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and of the nature and results of his work. The Holy Spirit is the Author of all wisdom, and the Revealer of all truth. Paul's prayer is that God would grant to every believer the Holy Spirit to make them wise, and to reveal his will to them. (Barnes Notes on the Bible)

This is critical to our lives as Christians.

Watchman Nee points out that so many Christians want to emphasize our personal problems and how these problems can be solved. We want answers to our personal prayers. This may be why so many Christians are so weak- they only pursue God so that he will solve their predicaments. What they want from God is having God do nothing but deliver them so that their life might be peaceful and happy. This is a self-centeredness that we must constantly battle against. (Watchman Nee The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation pp. 16-18)

Yes, we do need the Lord's help in solving our problems. Yes, we need his healing hand on our physical beings. Yes, we need him to help us figure out our money shortages and the like. However, this is getting the cart before the horse.

Even when it comes to spiritual issues we can become so self-centered in our pursuit of holiness and having victory over sin.

What Paul is pointing out is that the most important aspect of our lives is to know God himself personally. We can never reach where God wants to take us if we remain focused on what we want out of the relationship.

"Hey, I've got needs, Preacher. My kids won't behave. My fuel bill is past due. My spouse has health problems. I thought God was a loving God who would take care of me like a Father does his own children. What are you saying?"

I'm saying that when settle in your heart that you want to know Jesus first; when you are resolved to allow the Holy Spirit to give you His Spirit of wisdom and revelation; when you let Him have his way with your life and get to know God more and more, you'll discover a power for your life that you cannot believe you missed all this time.

This spirit of wisdom and revelation is so that you can know God better- not get all of your problems solved. However, I am very confident that when we know God better, our problems have a way of being dealt with in miraculous ways. (And not just in some kind virtual internet reality miraculous but a real-life happening.)

It's kind of like Neo in the movie "The Matrix." He looks at Morpheus and says, "What are you trying to tell me? That I'll be able to dodge bullets?" [I think some of you almost think I'm telling you that.] Morpheus looks at him and says, "No, Neo. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to."

And if we could just get ourselves to wrap our thinking around this idea: get to know who God is. And the rest of Paul's prayer is all about what we do with this spirit of wisdom and revelation. How we allow this to take place in our lives will give us what we need to personify what God's intentions are for our lives. Regardless of who you are. Your prayers will have a power to move God in ways you never dreamed possible.

Remember it's all about putting God first and getting to know Him better. And when you do something dynamic happens that…

Opens the Eyes of Your Heart.

Some of you remember when this church was different. You remember when the platform was on the east side where the glass door entrance is now. You remember when there was a balcony and throngs of children and adults flocked to Sunday School.

Remember when the church was remodeled in the late 50's and early 60's that put preachers like me facing people like you in this manner? Remember when the church mortgage was burned? Remember when Pastor Rob Tripp hung over the north side roof to paint the eave?

Remember when we added the new entrance (now we're entering into my memories of the church)? Remember when we blacktopped the north parking lot?

The point I want to make is that so much of our memories are composed of our eyes- that which we have not only seen but experienced. We see a lot of things and are witnesses to a lot of activities in a given day but we don't always remember those things for various reasons and one of those reasons is that our experience hasn't been engaged with our eyes. But when our experiences become engaged with our eyes something within our being sees the event with internal eyes. And we don't so easily forget what we have witnessed.

The understanding is that power or faculty in the soul by which knowledge or information is received, and the recipient power is here termed the Eyes of the understanding; and we learn from this that Philo (a Jewish scholar who had some pretty Christian things to say during the rise of Christianity) once said, "What the eye is to the body, that is the mind to the soul." (Adam Clarke Commentary)

We have to resist the idea that we are dogs that are too old for new tricks or new knowledge.

Not only does Paul pray that you would receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened but he then proposes that each one of us can…

Know the Hope of God's Calling.

Our forefather, John Wesley, believed that this part of verse 18 was to remind us that we "may experimentally and delightfully know what are the blessings which God has called you to hope for by his word and his Spirit."

You exact hope in your life when you face a difficult circumstance and you simply believe that God will work out the problem for his glory. How do you know this? You might quote me:

Romans 5:5- "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

You may also have tucked in the back of your mind when you face all sorts of problems another verse: Romans 8:23- "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."

And in those moments when you are not sure you can keep going on you remember that verse from Romans 8:28- "And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose."

We must be insistent that in our personal lives we choose to be hopeful in Christ Jesus. To know the hope we have in Christ calls for us to know him better. We cannot see what God has for us unless we know who He is and we cannot know the hope we have in our circumstances unless we know him in a very personal way.

This hope that we have in Christ Jesus moves us now to something that digs a wee bit deeper into our systems:

Experiencing the Riches of God's Inheritance.

We know from verse 11 that the saints- that's those of us who believe in and follow after Christ as Christians- that we are God's inheritance. So what does he mean here?

First, as Pastor Cooper's Pulpit Commentary informed me, this heritage includes our privileges in Christ. Consider this: if you were signed to a sports team you are issued the uniform of that team, given the game plan that this team has and you are on the team- an active participant belonging to that team. You no longer play for the enemy but you now play for God. Furthermore, all of your privileges as a player on that team come from you being a part of the team. As a Christian I now can approach God in prayer about all sorts of problems in my life. As a Christian I am given the privilege of growing more and more into the image of Christ. As a Christian I now possess the very life of Christ inside of me.

Second, the riches of this heritage includes "God's everlasting glory" bestowed upon us as Christ's followers. One day this body will be raised from "corrigible to "incorrigible." (I kind of like the ring of the old King James words on this.) In other words, this broken down body that requires care and surgeries and the like to keep going will one day be raised as a new body without the brokenness brought on by sin.

Third, this rich and glorious inheritance involves an eternal presence with God. When I die my spirit will be with God in his presence in paradise. Remember the thief on the cross? Jesus told him that "today you will be with me in paradise." I don't Jesus was lying to that man and I am certain that because of faith in him this promise holds true for every believer and follower of Christ who does so by faith.

A fourth idea I have about our riches of God's inheritance is our reward given by Christ to the faithful in Christ. "When the chief Shepherd appears you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (1 Peter 5:4)

God's Incredible Power is for You.

Consider God's incredible power in the context of these Biblical truths for us to think about:

Power is seen in Christ's resurrection. Jesus is risen and has ascended to heaven. This takes a power that goes beyond human ability.
Power which raises us to new life in Christ. The new life we have by faith in Jesus Christ is because of the same kind of power that raised Christ from the dead. That power now raises you and me from being dead in our sins and transgressions. No human power can do this.
Power that places us with Christ. We are now seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. (2:6) No human power could do this either.
Power which works in us. We cannot do the things of holy living without God's incredible power working in and through us. No human power can live the kind of holy and blameless life that God is looking for. This comes only through Jesus Christ. This why the righteous will live by faith.
Power that will one day resurrect these corruptible bodies. That second resurrection will be an incredible moment in human history. No power on earth can take the dead bones- dried out and dusty- and resurrect them into an incorruptible and perfect body like God's incredible power will do in the end of time. (I would love to preach more on this but I need to wait.)

The resurrection of the dead is a stupendous work of God; it requires his might in sovereign action: an action of power.

Every believer needs to realize the kind of power that changes your life.

God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and defeated sin and death in the process. This took incredible power. This is the power that changes your confessing heart from a sinner into a saint. And when this happens… well, I'll wait until next week before I talk about this part.

Christ in the heavenly realms:

Do we really know who we are claiming to be our Lord and Savior? Take a look at the last four verses:

Jesus is seated with God in the heavenly realms, "far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also the one to come."

Have we figured out who we are messing with here and saying that we are Jesus' disciples? I wonder if sometimes we just throw around the very idea of Jesus and being a Christian without really considering who this man is and what he's all about.

"and God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."

Just when I think I've got it all figured out as the leader of this ship I begin to realize that this ship- this Church- belongs to Jesus Christ.

There is so much being said out there in the world about our bodies. Do you want the government telling you whether you can have a certain operation or not? Dude, it's my body, I'll do what I want.

How about Jesus? This is his body and we must allow him the leadership and shepherding of this ministry. We are only the stewards of what he has blessed us with.

Ephesians 3:20-21 ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

Now go and live a life of Holy Spirit power by getting to know who God is in a very personal and real way. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

Funeral of Alice Ordway

2011-03-17T09:44:00.001-04:00

PRELUDE- Hymns by Carol Wright (with video)

Scriptures

Psalm 1 ¹ Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, ² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. ³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. ⁴ Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. ⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. ⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Job 19:25-27 ²⁵ I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. ²⁶ And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; ²⁷ I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

John 11:25-26 ²⁵ Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" ²⁷ "Yes, Lord," she replied, "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Romans 31-39 ³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Congregational Song- Hymn #352 Victory in Jesus

EULOGY

Alice Ordway was born on August 31, 1961 in Hart, Michigan to James and Hilda Coleson. She passed away last Wednesday March 9, 2011 in Shelby at the age of 49. She is survived by her husband of nearly 20 years, Steve Ordway and their son, James (or as we all know him, Jimmy). As well, her mother, Hilda Coleson of Silver Lake; Harold Coleson of Franklin, Indiana, Helen Fitzpatrick of Hart, Ruth Musil of Hart and Donald of Pentwater; many nieces and nephews; and lots of friends. She was preceded in death by her father, James Coleson.

Alice was a 1979 graduate of Shelby High School. Afterwards she attended Grace Bible College in Grand Rapids where she studied Bible. Following college, she served as a nursing assistant at Spring Arbor Nursing Home where she met a young fellow named Steven Ordway. A friendship developed and grew into courtship that grew into marriage on June 29, 1991.

Alice was a friends friend. In fact, Alice was everybody's friend. So many people loved her and enjoyed her friendship over the years. She had no enemies and if she did they didn't stand a chance with all the friends she had.

She was a woman of the simple life. She didn't look for the fancy or the latest trends- just keep life simple and she was happy. She loved to read- especially her Bible. She also enjoyed Christian television programs.

Alice was someone who thought of others. One of my favorite gifts I have ever received as a pastor was a an American Indian Nativity Set in honor of my Indian heritage. She spearheaded a team of children that went out to her mom's garage and painted the various figurines. She always thought of the needs of others before her own.

Alice loved to laugh. She loved to see the humorous side of life. Her smile was infectious.

Alice loved to serve. She and Steve thought of their local Church as important. She served as our Church Secretary for three years as well as was on the Church Board where she was able to share lots of ideas.

Alice loved her family. She loved her husband and son immensely. She was always keeping track of Jimmy's school activities and needs.

Alice was loved by all of us. I hope she knew that. We loved her because there was something extra-ordinary about her. We probably could never figure out but I wonder if it was just the way she respected us and who we were? We're going to miss her greatly. But now she is resting in peace with our Lord's eternal presence.

PRAYER MEDITATIION- Pastor Jack Cooper

Special Song- In Christ Alone (Owl City video)

MESSAGE- Being a Conqueror in Life

Following the tragic news of Alice's death, I began to consider how I might preach this message today. A variety of scriptures came to mind to some degree- more or less. However, the passage from Romans 8:31-39 kept coming to mind. And then when I received Alice's Bible from Steve and began perusing through it I found that Alice had highlighted these verses with this thought written below: "Script for sick heart."

Alice certainly knew what it was to be down and hurting. A good part of why she had to step down as our Church Secretary was due a serious shoulder injury that was hampering her. Just recently though, she had called me to tell me that when the snow melted away she wanted to start coming into the office at least a day, maybe two, a week and volunteer.

Maybe your heart is sick today and you need this scripture. Perhaps all of us are sick to some degree- whether we realize it or not- and need to hear these words: "What shall separate us from the love of God?" and learn that nothing- absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God.

And so this morning, taking a cue from this passage of God's word and especially from verse 37: "…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." I want to talk to you about being a Conqueror in Life.

So this is where we will begin our journey this afternoon of striving to bring a certain level of understanding of our situation and where we go from here.

Steve, your wife was a wonderful woman of God. She loved our Lord so much. And now she rests in his arms until that great day of Resurrection that all Christians look forward to. Jimmy, your mom loved you so much. She was always so proud of you. I hope you both can find that place of peace in Christ in spite of the circumstances.

So how can you be a conqueror in life? It starts by having…

Christ into your life. We learn from Colossians 1:26- "Christ in you the hope of glory."

In Christian terms, we believe that the person who admits that they are a sinner, believes that Jesus died for their sins, confesses Jesus as Lord and believes that he was raised from the dead is saved. This person becomes a follower of Jesus Christ.

To be a conqueror in life means that Christ is in your life. When you are a believer in Jesus Christ he then intervenes for you before God according to verse 34. This means that Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord who sits at God's right hand acts as our mediator to God. For all of us Christians this afternoon, through our hurt and grieving hearts we can be assured that Jesus Christ sees all of us this and is pleading our case to God right now. And the result is the blessed Holy Spirit bringing comfort to us.

What changes the person's heart is not simply their confession of faith but the work of God in their life. Time and again we will hear the testimony of those who come to Christ and become Christians who sensed something happening in them that they really could not explain. There is an internal excitement that goes beyond emotion.

Alice experienced this in her life. She knew that she was God's child. She knew Jesus as her Lord and Savior. And, yes, she loved her husband and son but she loved her Lord even more.

And this is the call to all of humanity and even to you today: come to Jesus and let him take the lead in your life. I say these things because I know Alice would want me to. I also say these things for all of our thoughtful consideration and how we apply God's word of truth into our lives.

Something else we learn about being a Conqueror in Life and that is:

God's strength is Perfect. This love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord perfects us in all sorts of ways. One way is through suffering. This may seem hard to understand and yet so many Christians over the centuries have testified to God doing extraordinary things in and through their lives because of the trials and tribulations they have gone through.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 in response to a so-called "thorn in the flesh" that Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore [Paul writes] I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

When we realize the human boundaries that hem us in so often and begin to accept some of those as God's hand at work, we will see His perfect strength working in and through our life. When I recognize my limits and what I cannot do, God is able to step in and step up the work of His Holy Spirit in my life.

St. John of the Cross wrote in his classic book The Dark Night of the Soul- "In the first place, the soul learns to commune with God with more respect and more courtesy, such as a soul must ever observe in converse with the Most High." We find ourselves realizing just how weak we are in times of suffering and especially suffering with the question of death that shadows over us today.

To be a Conqueror in Life not only means that God has justified us and his strength is perfect but there is a choice we have to make:

Choose to see God. So often we can blame others and even ourselves for the predicament we are in. Other times we might even dare to blame God for the problems we face and wonder why we are going through what we don't know what to do about. However, there is a freedom for those who are conquerors in life who choose to rather see and hear God as opposed to just trying to gut their way through.

I have a problem with a statement that I often hear: "Well, I just believe everything will work out." Fine, everything will work out, I suppose. If I leave my broken car broken then it will remain broken. But I guess I can psyche myself into believing that it's okay as well and go nowhere in life.

Similarly, if we leave the problems of life to fate then we are going nowhere real fast. However, I choose along with thousands of other Christ believers to trust the circumstances and problems to God's hand.

Alice had highlighted in her Bible several verses and wrote next them, "Choose to see." One of them I want to highlight from 1 Thessalonians 4:13- Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.

When we choose to see God in our middle of our storms we see hope. This hope we see goes beyond life itself. And in spite of the trials we face like the one we share in today, Jesus commands our destiny if we allow him to. We must choose to see God in the midst of our circumstances and even in these times of death. Why? Because "…we do not grieve like others who have no hope." We grieve knowing that there will be a great reunion on that final day of resurrection when the trumpet will blast. We have a hope that is safe and secure.

One day Jimmy was eating peanuts at his grandma Coleson's house. Someone had recently died and they were discussing the tragic news. Jimmy, being Jimmy, listened without comment- continuing to break open the peanut shells. And then he spoke. And when Jimmy speaks you better listen. Alice and her mom listened. Jimmy picked up two pieces of a peanut shell and put them together and said, "She is like this peanut shell and inside she is not there anymore."

Now I don't know about all the theological ramifications of soul-sleep and the end time resurrection- I'm still researching that. However, what I do know is that there is a presence of God that our dear departed sister is now enjoying. The shell is hear but is empty of her life. She now dwells in the hands of the Almighty.

Prayer-

Father God, we come today as people whose lives have been abruptly changed by the death of one whom we deeply love. Alice meant a lot to all of us. This change has brought confusion, anger, loneliness, fear and doubt. In the midst of these varied emotions, we long for peace and for endurance. We want to feel your presence.

As the stark reality of death is portrayed by this coffin, may we remember that Your love is the ultimate reality. May we remember that the reality of Your love is stronger than death and now sustains life on a different plane for this one we love. May we remember Alice and her vibrant faith in Jesus Christ.

Lord, may the memories of precious moments shared sustain the family in this time of grief. We ask for your blessing on Steve and Jimmy especially. And for Hilda and her brothers and sisters we pray your most precious comfort to sustain them as well.

May those times of laughter and crying, joy and sorrow, energy and fatigue, conflict and peace which mark our history with this beloved individual be the foundation of hope which sends us all into tomorrow. May we not strive for healing by the things of this world but by the power of Your Holy Spirit.

Father, place us in Your strong resourceful hands, and do those things for which we cannot do for ourselves. In Jesus name- Amen.

COMMITTAL

1 Corinthians 15:54-58 ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

⁵⁵ "Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Committal Prayer

Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God, in His wise providence, we now commit this body to its resting place; and we commit the spirit, O our Father, together with every sacred interest of our hearts, into your keeping; praying that you will deal graciously and mercifully with each of us, until we too shall come to you in glory by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the riches of grace in our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Biblical quotes NIV 2011 from Biblegateway.com

HAVE YOU SURRENDERED TO GOD’S GRAND PURPOSES?

2011-03-17T09:38:00.001-04:00

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sunday March 13, 2011

This message has been developed from "Sermon Starters" by Dr. Wayne Schmidt for this specific Lenten Series.

Francis was supposed to be a knight and a prince of Assisi. The son of a wealthy cloth maker, a soldier who led other soldiers and a man who fought with bravery learned the art of surrender to God. And his surrender changed not only his life but changed the lives of countless others as well as changed the Church at a time when the Church was faltering.

Francis was born in 1181 in Assisi, Italy. He was not a very exceptional student but was allowed to breeze his way through his studies- maybe because he was a rich man's son. As he grew up he had very little interest in the family business. His parents spoiled him, giving him pretty much whatever he wanted.

No one loved pleasure more than Francis; "he had a ready wit, sang merrily, and delighted in fine clothes and showy display." He was a handsome young man- very gallant, and courteous. He was the prime favorite among the young nobles of Assisi, "the foremost in every feat of arms, the leader of the civil revels, the very king of frolic." But Francis also showed a different side to his nature: he seemed to have an instinctive sympathy with the poor, and though he wasted money, yet he found ways to channel money to those in need.

But Francis was intent on living his life the way he wanted. However, God works in mysterious ways and in Francis' life God began to call him and draw him to the most unusual life. Although Francis still joined at times in the noisy revels of his former comrades, his changed demeanor plainly showed that his heart was no longer with them; a yearning for the life of the Spirit had already possessed it. Something was different about Francis. He no longer yearned to live for the next drink or next pleasure.

During one of the town's military skirmishes with an enemy city, Francis was taken prisoner. He contracted an illness with a low fever during which he had a dream that God told him he would lead others with the cross on their shields. Later, he had a second dream that called him to return to his home city of Assisi. He left the battle field- desertion is what I think this is called- and returned. Francis became very different: he prayed, he gave away his things to the poor (even exchanging his nice clothes with a beggar), he took the family things and gave them away. He began to live the life of someone who was called by God to surrender everything.

Not long after his return to Assisi, while Francis was praying before an ancient crucifix in a forsaken wayside chapel of St. Damian's below the town, he heard a voice saying: "Go, Francis, and repair my house, which as you see is falling into ruin."

Yes, Francis could see that the old chapel was falling down because it was unkempt and unused. Yes, Francis knew that to heed the call to repair this building would cost him; yet, Francis did heed the call that was being place on his life. Not a call to repair an old broken chapel out in a faraway field but to bring a freshness and newness to the Church as a whole.

Francis, against the wishes of his father, townspeople and even the priest that oversaw the empty chapel, gave up everything to repair God's Church. Francis returned at once to St. Damian's, where he found a shelter with the officiating priest, but he was soon called back to stand before the city consuls by his father. His father was not content with Francis taking the family money and goods and giving them away. So he sought also to force his son to forego his inheritance. This Francis was only too eager to do; he declared, however, that since he had entered the service of God he was no longer under civil jurisdiction. Having therefore been taken before the bishop, Francis stripped himself of the very clothes he wore, and gave them to his father and said: " Up till now I have called you my father on earth; from this time forth I desire to say only 'Our Father who art in Heaven'."

And Francis strode out of the city to never look back again. He established a ministry to literally rebuild St. Damian's Chapel by receiving donated stones. So one stone at a time, Francis rebuilt the Church- physically and spiritually. He established ministries over his lifetime of contemplation, prayer and fasting. He led evangelism excursions all over Italy calling others to a life of surrender to God. Francis went "exhorting the people of the country-side to penance, brotherly love, and peace." The Assisians had already ceased to scoff at Francis; they now paused in wonderment; his example even drew others to him. (Catholic Encyclopedia- www.newadvent.org/cathen/06221a.htm)

St. Francis discovered in worship and certain kinship with nature. He saw the glory of God in all manner of creation. To say that he was an environmentalist would miss the point; he was a man who found God in everything and experienced the worship of God by seeing the interaction of nature. In fact, he himself was known to have interacted with animals and birds. Everywhere you see a picture of St. Francis you will find a bird on his shoulder symbolizing the kind of man of God he was. St. Francis of Assisi was the patron saint of animals, birds and the environment. (Commentary to "The Little Flowers of St. Francis" on website www.sacred-texts.com/chr/lff/index.htm)

"Have you surrendered to the grand purposes of God for your life?"

It matters not how successful you are in your business and work; it matters not how talented you are as a person; it matters not how spiritually gifted you are as a Christian; it matters not how much money you give the church ministry. And on the other hand, it matters not how poor you are; how little you give; how little you do; how little you think of yourself.

This morning we are all on the same level ground around the cross of Jesus and must answer the question: "Have I surrendered to the grand purposes of God for my life?"

And if you want a simpler question how about this: "Have I surrendered to God?"

Your answer this morning cannot be an in-between answer; there is no such thing as both/and today; there is only an either/or answer to this question. The answer to this question is about a whole lot more than becoming a pastor or missionary and Sunday School teacher. The answer to this question will and must define everything about your life.

There is no straddling the fence or being a "Johnny-Fence-Rider". (Fresh Fish album from the early '90's) You must fall off on one side or the other.

How must you respond to the question, "Have I surrendered to the grand purposes of God for my life?"

LIVING IN CHRIST.

Six times in this short passage we read something to the effect "in Christ" or "in Him." This is no accident. So what does this mean? Notice three very important realities for you as a Christian:

All we are is found in Christ. "We were chosen in him before the creation of the world.
All we have is found in Christ. "In him we have redemption."
All we hope for is found in Christ. "…our inheritance…"

There is nothing else in the entire world that can do for us what Jesus has done for us and now does for us because of his great love for us. Because of His perfect sacrifice on the cross we can know what it is to be in a true relationship with God.

The kind of live we are called to changes us- it must change us. Otherwise we've not been called to salvation.

Like that hymn many of us love so much: "In Christ alone my hope is found." Absolutely and positively in Christ alone and nowhere else is our hope for anything in life found. And even though life can seem like a roller coaster through the dips and turns and twists and highs and lows of life, as a follower of Jesus Christ you can know the love of God that keeps you and protects you from all evil.

Not only does living in Christ begin this adventure of surrendering to God's grand purposes in your life but also your willingness to…

GRASP GOD'S ETERNAL PURPOSES.

What does God want to do with this world? Does he want to take it over like some kind of dictator? Or does God want to control the world? Or, here's a "novel" thought, God wants to convert the world through an ordinary person like you.

This is where discovering your purpose in Christ becomes so important.

Dr. Wayne Schmidt points out from the booklet "Establishing Your Purpose" (Vision Foundation, Knoxville, TN) these three purposes that God has for each of us to move towards in our Christian journey:

God's Ultimate Purpose. This is God's eternal purpose in the long, far-out future and much of which remains a mystery. We don't fully comprehend how God really wants to end all of this world and so forth.
God's Universal Purpose. This is God's will for every person. We know that God desires humanity to hear and heed the gospel message. God wants you and everyone else to come to that place of obeying the two greatest commandments: Love God and love your neighbor.
God's Unique Purpose. This is God's specific plan for your life. We know that the Apostle Paul makes constant reference to himself as being "called to be an apostle." This is Paul's specific purpose in life. My specific purpose for living will not be exactly your specific purpose but for all of us our Universal Purpose remains the same: to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. And we will all witness in the end of time God's Ultimate Purpose.

As a Christian you are found to be in Christ and being in Christ you come to recognize the purpose to which you are saved. Now you must do something that only you can do:

MAKE YOUR RESPONSE PERSONAL.

God's calling to you for salvation began before the world was created. You were chosen before anything else was created but not just to go to heaven.

Salvation is about whole lot more than going to heaven. God wants to bring heaven to earth through you. This is why he has chosen you, according to verse 4, to be holy and blameless.

What does it mean to be holy and blameless?

God's perception of us is that we are perfect in heart and soul. To God you are a very beautiful and handsome specimen of humanity. When you got saved, Christ removed your blemishes

Ephesians 5:27- "{Jesus} loved the church [that's you and me] and gave himself up for her [again, that's us] to make [us] holy, cleansing [us] by the washing with water through the word, and to present [us] to himself as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." (My emphasis and changes)

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well, you are a beautiful person to God when you accept his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into your life by faith. And not only does Jesus' blood remove your blemishes, but his blood removes your guilt. No longer do you need to live in guilt and shame but can now hold your head high knowing that you are born of God.

You have to want to for God.

To make your response personal is somewhat like when I got married: I had to respond to the vows; I had to repeat after the pastor; I had to kiss the bride. But that sounds like a coerced deal: "I HAD to." The fact is that I WANTED to respond with "I will"; I WANTED to repeat after the pastor; I WANTED to kiss the bride. I WANTED to answer the call to Naomi's husband!

And to make this call to God's full salvation through Jesus Christ a very personal response means that YOU will respond because YOU WANT TO.

Something else, though, is that this change is a dynamic change. You are changed to be different. Different from the ways of the world, different from the ways of sin and different from the ways of self. To be holy and blameless means that you are set apart for God's holy use.

A friend of mine (Dan Lamos) posted on Facebook the other day this thought:

Surrender is the currency of God's kingdom.

For you to truly be holy and blameless doesn't so much call for you to do something but to surrender everything. I can go crazy trying to do everything for everybody every day. I can go crazy trying to do this for God. But the best way to live for Jesus is to surrender my life to his use.

Jesus is my coach so I listen and do what he says.
Jesus is my leader so I follow in his footsteps.
Jesus is my friend and I don't want to disappoint my friend.

Jesus once said, "Many are called but few are chosen." Is this some kind of reference to the failures of so many who come to Christ with faith believing and yet go their own way after the altar experience?

The truth is that being called to a life of being holy and blameless is not a call to a life of constantly committing sins. We are not called to a life of sinlessness that means that we just "sin less" than everybody else. We are called to avoid sin, not to commit sin and to run from sin's temptations. The person who claims to be a Christian and is continuing to engage in willful sin was either never saved to begin with or was once saved and has forfeited their own soul.

The reality for the true believer in Jesus Christ and who is truly following Christ is that we are surrendered to God's grand purpose for our life. We give up our hopes and dreams and everything else in order to bid our Lord's calling for our life. And it is there that we find true satisfaction and joy.

CONCLUSION: CARRYING THE MARKS OF A CHRISTIAN.

So how can you know and distinguish your Christian life from the ways of the world?

When I was a young lad I attended Cub Scouts for about a month. I was excited about being a part of something that involved friends of mine among others. We met a house and were taught what it meant to be a Cub Scout. We had an oath to not only quote but a promise to keep that oath. No problem so far- until the cost of the uniforms came up. There was no way I was staying in Cub Scouts because my family could not afford- or even come close to affording- the price tag of the pants, shirt, bandanna or badges. My Cub Scout days ended hardly before they began. And I was crushed. I wanted to be a Cub Scout but the lack of a uniform would prevent me from doing so.

When I became a Christian something significant happened in my life: I was marked by the Holy Spirit. Men of old prayed over me as I received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. My life became remarkably different; I felt different when I got up from that altar of prayer; I knew my life was different; I understood that my life would be changed from the way I used to live and think.

When you became a Christian there should be something that transpires that changes you. No, you don't need to buy a uniform or badges or a special colored bandanna but your heart is changed. Who you were is now different. Your name might be the same, your hair color the same and all of that BUT you are different.

There are three aspects of this mark of the Christian.

The first aspect of this mark of a Christian: Your Inclusion in God's Family. We both choose and are chosen- two sides to the same coin, so to speak. There is God's part which is Him choosing us before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless and then there is our choice after "you heard the word of truth" to "believe" that "gospel of salvation."

The second aspect of this mark of a Christian: Your Identification with Christ. "…you were marked in Christ with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance…" God's commitment to us is that he will truly never leave us nor forsake us. By the work of the Holy Spirit we have a power over sin that defeats the penalty of sin as well as removes the presence of sin from our hearts and lives so that we might live lives that are holy and blameless.

The third aspect of this but the most important because it enfolds the other two is this: Your Intentional Acts of Love. Live a life of holiness and blamelessness is really a life of love- Love God with all your heart and Love your neighbor as yourself. Your intentional acts of love will reflect your inclusion in the family of God as well as your identification with Christ.

Men like St. Francis of Assisi lived that kind of life- a life that was fully surrendered to God.

Are you serious about your relationship with Jesus Christ? Do you really want to follow after Jesus?

Are you willing to surrender your life to Him today- at this moment? Are you ready to pursue God's grand purpose for your life.

LIKE YOUR OWN THINGS

2011-03-07T13:32:00.001-05:00

Exodus 20:17- You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

[General References: Pulpit Commentary, True Spirituality by Francis Schaeffer, MacArthur Study Bible, The Wesley Study Bible]

One of the deepest kinds of sins that sums up every command as well as fills in any loopholes that you might have figured out is highlighted by the Tenth Commandment: You shall not covet.

This one sin encompasses every other sin very simply because to covet is to desire something that is not yours and that God does not want you to have.

To covet means for a person to desire or to take pleasure in. (Expository Dictionary of Bible Words p. 200) That's the generic definition and there's nothing wrong with that on the surface. But now apply the definition to the Commandment:

"You shall not take desire or take pleasure in your neighbor's house. You shall not desire or take pleasure in your neighbor's wife or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

The objective is for you to like and appreciate what you have and not be looking over your neighbor's fence and wishing you had what he or she has.

It may sound harsh and it may sound snotty but it is the reality. And when you don't face reality you face all sorts of problems with your relationship with God.

Notice Ezekiel 33:31- "My people come to you as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain."

God was pointing out the hypocrisy of his people- they act as though they are hearing and want to do the Lord's will but in their hearts- in the very core of who they are- they are selfish and greedy. God has a problem with people are always on the take and looking to get every kind of edge.

This tenth commandment is aimed right at the heart of who you are and who you claim to be. So many have failed in this tenth command. And so my goal today is to help you understand what it is to covet and how you can overcome.

Ephesians 5:3 emphasizes to all Christians the kind of holy lives we are to live. Notice what the Apostle Paul writes:

"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people."

When people see your life they should not think of you as a greedy or jealous person who thinks of themselves first. They should see you as the way the Bible describes Jesus. Furthermore, since we can be pretty good at tricking other people by covering up our tracks, God should be able to look at your life and see someone who is not full of greed and jealousy.

Remember, that the ten commandments are about more than just some cosmic killjoy God out there trying to make your life miserable and to deny yourself of those so-called things that make you human.

PRECEPT = PRINCIPLE = THE PERSON OF GOD. "Do not covet" points us to the principle that God wants us to be content with what we have; and this points us to the very character of God who provides to his children.

Whassup with this command?

Gets to the thoughts of the individual.
Reveals the heart of a person.
Slavery to sinful desires.
Psalm 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

Since God desires truth in my inward life then it calls on me to be truthful to myself, truthful to God and thereby truthful to every one else around me. This means that I will do whatever I need to do to force myself to be obedient to this command of not coveting what isn't mine.

I three thoughts about this command with a closing challenge that I pray will draw us closer to our Lord this morning.

The Delusion of Need.

I am amazed at how television works. I can be sitting there minding my own business during a Kentucky basketball game and suddenly realize that the home cooked dinner I am eating isn't cutting it- I need Jimmy Johns or Golden Corral. I also come to the conclusion that my van isn't good enough for a rich guy like me so I need to get a new Chrysler or Ford. And I need a pair of Wrangler Jeans like Brett Favre wears.

Constantly and at every turn we have a societal media that is shouting at us that we have needs that need to be fulfilled. The fact is that most of the commercials we witness through television and other media are not needs at all. Yes, I need to eat in order to live but I don't have to go to Red Robin (YUM!).

Turning wants into needs. The devil is good at this if we let him. Habakkuk 2:9- Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain to set his nest on high, to escape the clutches of ruin!
Blurring the lines from what is necessary. There are times I need new things- or at least replace the old thing. I've learned to find the best value for the best price. I don't always get this right but I hope my heart is always in the right place.
Don't look at your neighbor's successes. The temptation to covet can be a very subtle temptation. "I wish my wife could be the kind of wife he has." Or vice versa. "I wish my children behaved like their children." "I wish I had a car like they have." On and on we could go.
Beware of Ecclesiastical Coveting! Churches are very guilty of breaking this command. We wish our church was like such and such church. We wish our pastor was like so and so's pastor. We wish our congregation was like that congregation over there. We wish we had a church building like theirs; a church ministry like theirs; money like they have; leaders like they have; and on and on the jealousy creeps in.
Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

We need to guard our hearts against coveting which is really just plain old greed. Don't be looking over at your neighbor's successful life! Or the neighboring churches.

The Selfishness of Wants.

Micah 2:2- They covet fields and seize them, and houses and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman his inheritance.

This verse really tells the story of so much of humanity: see something you want so you go get it by any means possible regardless of who it hurts.

Allowing the world to define us. Our friends who don't know God and who are not there to help us live godly lives are going to strive to tell us what we really need. "You just have to do what's best for you." What a statement from the pit of hell!
Allowing our self to be undisciplined. When we don't allow the Bible to define us and give us direction we find ourselves undisciplined in the ways of God. Our minds begin to eyeball things that don't belong to us. Our prideful hearts begin to puff up and we strive to gain something that perhaps God does not intend for us to have.
We should love others enough not to envy. I love my wife too much to wonder about other women. I love my friends and brothers in Christ too much to wonder about their wives. This is what Jesus was getting at when he said that a man who looks on a woman with lust in his heart has already committed adultery with her. (Matthew 5:28)
Do we harbor secret satisfaction at another's loss? (Francis Schaeffer) Am I happy when my enemy's demise knocks on his door? Or do I grieve for him?
1 Corinthians 10:23-24- ²³ "I have the right to do anything," you say—but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"—but not everything is constructive. ²⁴ No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

Let's see those verses from the Message Bible: ^23-24Looking at it one way, you could say, "Anything goes. Because of God's immense generosity and grace, we don't have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster." But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.

If I am going to truly overcome this issue of coveting in my life and if you are going to truly overcome this issue in your life then it requires us to not only be vigilant and guard our hearts but also to seek the good of others and to help others live well.

So how should we live?

The Secret of Contentment.

Everybody wants to be content in life. Everybody wants to be happy, fat and free- so to speak. What is the secret to overcoming covetousness? It is discovering the secret of contentment.

Socrates- "Contentment is natural wealth and luxury is artificial poverty."

Contentment is the positive outcome of obedience to the 10^th Command. When you learn to like what you already have then you are on your way to overcoming coveting and being content in whatever state you are in.
Contentment wants what God wants for me. I really have nothing else to add to this.
Contentment is satisfaction within all relationships:
- Relationship with Jesus Christ.
- Sexual purity among God's people.
- Husband-Wife marital relationship.
- Family structures are honored.
- Churches are respected.
- Friendships are valued.

Francis Schaeffer:

If contentment goes and the giving of thanks goes, we are not loving God as we should, and proper desire has become coveting against God. This inward area is the first place of loss of true spirituality. The outward is always the result of it. (True Spirituality p. 13)

Conclusion: Getting Serious for Victory!

Seeking forgiveness for the sin of coveting.
Giving thanks in all things.
Living by faith for everything.
Putting to death the sin of coveting.

Colossians 3:5- Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

PRAYER OF CONTENTMENT:

Father, I know that contentment with godliness is of great benefit. It brings about a lasting peace and grateful heart that only You can give. Help me not to covet the relationships and material goods that belong to others. Help me by the Counsel of the Holy Spirit to surrender all of myself and all I have into your care.
May the character of who I am and the fruit of my actions be the result of my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, living in and through me. May I look to You for proper balance in the people and things You have blessed me with and give me a righteous attitude that all things are gifts from your gracious hands. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

2011-02-28T21:17:00.001-05:00

Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 19:15-21

Sunday February 27, 2011

The story of Pinocchio is old childhood favorite. We were fascinated with a wood carver named Gepetto who carved a boy out of wood so that he could have son. But Pinocchio was still made of wood and he was very mischievous. During his escapades he has to face his guardian fairy. When questioned about going to school he lied. And his nose grew. His Guardian Fairy informed him then that every time he lied his nose would grow.

And so as a child I sat fascinated in Mrs. Stauffer's first grade class- hoping that no one would notice that my nose was growing bigger all the time.

There is something very important for us to understand this morning about this whole idea that our 9^th commandment brings up: God values truth.

Notice our grid for the Ten Commandments:

PRECEPT- "Thou shalt not…"

PRINCIPAL- "God's values"

PERSON- God's character

This command reminds us the importance that God puts on the trustworthiness your spoken words must carry. I also believe that this command shows us the laxness so many of us are guilty of in the way we speak about other people.

So consider these points this morning so that we can have a greater understanding and a greater application of this command: do not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

The Verdict of Truthful Testimony.

The Justice System must be based on truth. If the system is riddled with falsehoods and opinions based on falsehoods then there can be no justice. This Command was important to the justice system that would be needed in order for the judges to make proper decisions. This required that…
Witnesses must tell the truth. And so there were penalties for perjury. Humans can be fickle and deceitful. Memories do fade and things people see can be remembered wrongly. This is why the Bible calls on the standard of "two or three witnesses" to establish guilt.
Judges and juries must discern the truth. Even then, justice was not to be meted out by the citizenry. There needed to be those who were sworn in to uphold the law according to the guidelines set. Not every case would be the same and there was not going to be the kind of guidance that Joshua experienced when Achan was discovered to have sinned. Even today, judges and juries- even those who participate that are born again Christians who love God and their neighbors- must struggle through evidence presented and make decisions… and be wrong sometimes.
What about "Moral conviction of truth" without evidence? There is no room in any courtroom for the "moral conviction of truth" about the guilt or innocence of someone charged with a crime. It is my "moral conviction of truth" that OJ Simpson did it but got off by slick lawyers. However, I also know that they did present some very important facts about how evidence was handled and it became a lightning rod for the justice system and investigators of crime in the future.

This 9^th Commandment, however, goes further than just the courtroom. It also imposes itself into the courtroom of public speech.

The Violations of Respectful Speech.

When I was in college we went through a tremendous revival time. Confession of sins flowed from the pulpit of chapel times for several days. But the confessions didn't stop there. There was private confession. I experienced a couple of people coming to me with confessions that they had spoken ill of me and wanted my forgiveness. No sweat, because I was guilty of so much sin in my life compassion was experienced and given. However, I got to wondering what they said about me. How bad was the "spoken ill"?

May advice is that you don't need to confess everything to everybody. There is a time and place for restitution but I'm not so sure that one is. However, the idea of violating respectfyl speech cuts to the heart of what this "do not bear false witness against thy neighbor" is all about.

Lying about someone. This is absolutely undoubtedly the worst thing a person can do to another person. Too many have accused their ex-husbands of child molestation in order to get custody of the children. That is so wrong. Telling other people lies about someone you don't like to get back at them or to just be a jerk to them is a huge sin.
Gossip to elevate one's self. Some people don't lie about others but they do pass on rumors they heard. If only fence-posts could talk! However, gossip is that subtle sin that can affect anyone- you, me, the pope, anyone. We must constantly be on guard that what we are saying about another person- even if true- should be said or not.
Character assassination. Politicians are great at this. So many people decry the political discourse nowadays. It's bad but not like the early days of the United States. All sorts of things were said then and in nearly every election since.

I had the opportunity to referee a couple of high school basketball games in my years at my previous charge. I actually enjoyed reffing but what I didn't like were the Christians behind speaking evil of me. They were telling me all of my mistakes and what I was missing. I had one coach screaming at me because he thought that his players were getting hacked on the inside. Well, I didn't see it.

I know how easy it is to see the shortcomings of other people. I find myself questioning the judgment of referees, especially when my beloved Kentucky Wildcats are playing. However, I remind myself so many times that these are human beings and these are people who have families. Some of them are most likely Christ-centered Christians. And here I am questioning their integrity! I must be more careful and more cautious about what I think and say about others.

Here are some guiding verses for us to think about:

James 3:6- The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
2 Corinthians 12:20-21
²⁰ For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. ²¹ I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.
Ephesians 4:31- Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
Galatians 5:19-21- ¹⁹ The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

I like this quote by Thomas Watson: "He that raises a slander carries the devil on his tongue; and he that receives it, carries the devil in his ear."

Something else this commandment points out:

The Value of Telling the Truth.

Remember the old television show "To Tell the Truth"? The "To Tell the Truth" TV show was a 30 minute game show series on CBS where three contestants would all claim to be the same person. Then a celebrity panel would ask them questions in an attempt to tell which one was telling the truth. After questioning ended, the panel would vote on who they believed was the truthful contestant. The contestants could win up to $1000 depending on how many panelists they had fooled.

It was all in fun but yet nowadays there is a real move in society that has caused Chuck Coleson to term today's world as a…

"Post-truth Society." What bothers me is that it seems that lawyers are out to assist defendants in getting out of the crimes they have committed rather than simply upholding the rights of the defendant. Although I guess if you want to make money as a defense attorney you need to get people off of crimes they've committed. But what about evolutionists being intellectually honest that they do have lots of problems supporting their theory- because it is just that- a theory which is not grounded in what is true but speculation? What about Pro-Choice and Pro-Abortion crowd being intellectually honest that the unwanted pregnancy still possesses a real live developing baby?

What about the other things we see happening in society that simply require us to tell the truth and believe the truth?

What must we do? Realize that…

God is true to us. Before we really can grow in our relationship with God we need to recognize that God has never ever been dishonest with us. This then forces us to do something radical:
We must be honest before God about our self. I want God to be honest with me and keep his promises but do I want to be honest before God about who I am and what my motives are? This is a huge step for you as a person to take but a step that must be taken.

For us to proceed from our private honest relationship between us and God requires then that…

We must be true to others in word and actions. What I say to others does matter. I've been called on it and I strive to be sure that what I say is true- no matter who I'm speaking to. And I've been careful not make rash promises that end up cornering me when I can't keep them. The bottom line is that as Christians we all must…
"Speak the truth in love." When a brother or sister has offended you or is wrong about something, speak the truth in love. Be kind and gentle; don't over-reach your hand justice; do unto others as you would have them do to you.

Something else that we must always be careful of in addition to these things is what William Barclay called…

"The Sin of silence." This is when you should speak up and don't. This is when you are witness to a crime and you keep your silence. Now it's easy for me to say when I'm not living in the circles that some people live where to open your mouth would open you and yours to sinister retribution. But there is a wisdom that is needed as well as lots of courage to stand up against sin and to testify regardless of the consequences. The "sin of silence" also happens when we don't defend someone in the workplace who is being gossiped about or ripped by someone else.

If you've got nothing good to say about someone then do as Uncle Buddy Robinson. I like the story of when someone asked the old Nazarene preacher of the 1800's about some heretic in town. He simply replied, "Well, he's a good whistler."

At the very least you can find at least that about some people.

Witnesses against Jesus on Trial.

In Mark 14:55-59 we find the discourse of Jesus on trial and the confusion and outright blatant deception that was going on in the name of God. What a travesty!

⁵⁵ The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. ⁵⁶ Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.

⁵⁷ Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: ⁵⁸ "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.'" ⁵⁹ Yet even then their testimony did not agree.

No valid evidence against Christ.
He did no wrong.
His enemies had to create false testimony to achieve their goal.
And the false testimonies were conflicting.

And so we witness what happens when the eyes of justice are shielded from truth: an illegal and unethical behavior from the very people who are supposed to be living out truth.

What about you? What about me? Are we living lives to tell the truth always, speak the truth in love, testify to the truth and live out lives of holy truth every day?

Conclusion: Psalm 15:1-3

¹ LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?

² The one whose walk is blameless,
   who does what is righteous,
   who speaks the truth from their heart;
³ whose tongue utters no slander,
   who does no wrong to a neighbor,
   and casts no slur on others;

IF IT’S NOT YOURS

2011-02-21T08:12:00.001-05:00

Sunday February 20. 2011

Exodus 20:15- You shall not steal.

Ephesians 4:28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

(So much of what I have gleaned for these messages comes from: Written in Stone by Philip Graham Ryken, Maximum Happiness by Dr. Wilbur Williams, Pulpit Commentary, Adam Clarke's Commentary, John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Bible and for this particular commandment I've take liberties to retell the story of Achan as told to children by Linda Sue Pochodzay Edwards "I W-a-a-ant!" www.childrenschapel.org She just tells it a little better than I could.)

Imagine carrying a sign in front of the local courthouse that reads: "I stole from a local store."

Imagine doing that at 12pm. Under the hot beating sun. With sweat dripping down your forehead. For two hours.

If you get caught stealing and you end up in Putnam County, Ohio Judge Peter Miller's courtroom, that just might be your punishment.

"It is better than going to jail, but it's not fair," said Rashane Lewis, who was arrested for being the lookout in a Wal-Mart while a friend of hers took some children clothes.

Over the past twelve years, Judge Miller has sentenced over 600 people to these unusual punishments either outside the courthouse or at the store where the incident took place. Walking around with an embarrassing sign is his preferred method to deal with shoplifters.

According to the administration of the Putnam County probation system has said only three of Judge Miller's sign carriers has repeated their offense. He, along with other judges around the United States believe that public penitence, involving some sort of public humiliation works to rehabilitate convicted offenders.

'If you see someone marching up and down in front of a store, you may think twice before stealing. I'm not going to say it is going to prevent it, but it will stop the one who did it from doing it again," said Judge Miller.

He gives the offenders an option. Take a 30-60 day jail sentence or endure two hours of public embarrassment. Along with their choice, they must perform 25 hours of community service, they have six months of probation and they are fined $294.

http://lawvibe.com/get-caught-stealing-and-face-public-humiliation/#ixzz1EQ9asxbN

Consider this:

Thieves come in all shapes and sizes.

Pilfering by employees.
Taxpayer fraud.
Insurance fraud.
Welfare & Social Security fraud.
Disability fraud
Frivolous lawsuits
False time cards.
Over-worked & underpaid employees.
Off-shore banking, Enron, WorldCom.
Ponzi schemes. Bernie Madoff, Mona Shores High School
Identity theft.

Granddad bandit. This guy robbed a dozen or so banks in the Virginia area before being apprehended.

I-35 Serial Bank Robber. In the state of Texas, this man uses a variety of disguises- and even looks like one of the dudes from ZZ-top. He preys on small town banks that are easy on and easy off the I-35 Expressway that runs east and west through Texas. He has robbed some 15 banks without hardly a shot at catching him- so far.

The Sparta Elders. This couple used another man's stolen credit card to buy basic essentials at a local supermarket. The surveillance caught them entering the store. Nobody knows who they are and all they did was spend about $100 bucks… and stopped using the credit card.

As a child I got the big idea that I would take candy from behind the counter of one our neighborhood stores. My sister ratted on me, the man in his bloody butcher's apron came chasing after me down Ionia street in front of other kids. He caught me, my parents were notified and I was properly disciplined.

Stealing is big business, little business but everybody's business and very immoral.

The Bible takes very seriously the issue of thievery and business dishonesty. Proper measures and scales were to be kept.

United States measurements and scales. Under the direction of the United States Department of Commerce, the National Institute of Standards and Technology estimates that 50% of the US economy is based on measurements and weights. This means that when you buy a pound of carrots you are buying a pound of carrots. When you pump a gallon of gas you are pumping a gallon of gas. When you purchase an eight foot two-by-four, you are purchasing an eight foot two-by-four. Wesco will get periodic "check-ups" by the State of Michigan where a State worker will actually pump gas and measure it to see if their pumps are accurate. The Weights and Measures Division promotes uniformity in U.S. weights and measures laws, regulations, and standards to achieve equity between buyers and sellers in the marketplace. This enhances consumer confidence, enables U.S. businesses to compete fairly at home and abroad, and strengthens the U.S. economy. (www.nist.gov)

What I have noticed about the Ten Commandments- and especially the ones dealing with relationships- is that the ante seems to get jacked up with each one. Starting with family as the foundation of society, then respect for human life, maintaining proper relationships and now preserving integrity within the system we see the importance of these Ten Commandments not as something that is dictating and controlling but something that makes human life better, brings glory to God and allows all of us greater freedom in living with one another.

The Heidelberg Catechism- a Puritan document that describes the Christian concepts of faith- summarizes the eighth commandment: "God forbids not only outright theft and robbery, but also such wicked schemes and devices as false weights and measures, deceptive merchandising, counterfeit money, and usury; we must not defraud our neighbor in any way, whether by force or by show of right. In addition, God forbids all greed and all abuse or squandering of his gifts."

John Wesley comments on this commandment by writing: This command forbids us to rob ourselves of what we have, by sinful spending, or of the use and comfort of it by sinful sparing; and to rob others by invading our neighbour's rights, taking his goods, or house, or field, forcibly or clandestinely, over - reaching in bargains, not restoring what is borrowed or found, with - holding just debts, rents or wages; and, which is worst of all, to rob the public in the coin or revenue, or that which is dedicated to the service of religion.

I have three critical thoughts that I hope would spur us all to greater appreciation and a greater adherence to this commandment: You shall not steal.

Easy to understand but hard to resist.

What makes keeping this commandment so difficult is that it can cut all across all ages at any age and any capacity; to keep it requires constant vigilance.

When I was a teenager I remember hearing the testimony of one of the stalwarts of the church who confessed to taking materials from the company under the justification that "everyone else is doing it so why not me." After he took the stuff he was convicted by the Holy Spirit. He made confession to the Lord, to the Church and then to his company. He didn't lose his job.

It's easy to think that if others are doing it then it's okay. But we must be mature enough not to think that way. We can also believe that it is owed to us. Suppose you do deserve to be paid more- does that qualify you then to pilfer things from work? Of course not.

Satan is a tempter and is crafty. He will constantly strive to trip up your integrity. What surprises me is that even the best of people fall into the trap.

People will illicitly use company credit cards for personal use. I know a fellow who says that this can accidentally happen and the company will give grace for those kinds of situations. Someone's personal credit card may look like the company's; but yet there are people who work for companies and bilk their business for meals and things that have nothing to do with the business. This is wrong and shouldn't be done.

We must be constantly vigilant and watch our step. And like they told us at Plumb's Supermarket: If you don't have a receipt for it then it's not yours to eat.

Stealing goes beyond nickels and dimes.

If avoiding simple theft was good enough then we all might do alright. But consider the Leslie Thrasher painting of a woman purchasing meat. The man weighing has his finger pushing down while she has hers under the scale pushing up; they are both content because they both think they are one-upping the other. In reality, they are trying to steal from each other.

The Bible speaks of having honest scales. The reason is for the need of society to have an honest economy. You've heard it said, "There is no honor among thieves." Yes there is! Try stealing from a thief! I'd bet he gives justice worse than he would want to receive justice. Try ripping off the Mafia and see what happens!

For centuries towns and villages have struggled to make sure that there was honesty in the scales system. Anyone caught cheating customers would be banned from doing sales. Furthermore, some could a hand or even lose their life.

We find that even today in certain Islamic countries that operate by what is called Sharia Law- a very fundamentalist Islamic belief system- affords the judges to have a thief's hand amputated for stealing something of value.

Something else that goes beyond nickels and dimes is people and businesses who take advantage of someone by selling them something that is either too far gone to be of any good or just simply over-pricing their product. Price gouging is not a new concept. In The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the town merchant finds the chance to jack up his prices on wheat because there is none elsewhere. However, "Pa" reminds him that people won't soon forget come spring-time if he over-prices his product.

Something else that gets overlooked is lazy people who are suing companies for workman's compensation and there is nothing wrong; or they sue their neighbor over inconsequential things hoping for a windfall. Greed is a very strong component to thievery.

What about internet theft? With today's high technology you can literally go to a web site and watch a movie without ever going to the theatre and paying for it or waiting for it to come out on video. Software is pirated and then exchanged. I certainly believe that there is a certain point of sharing that is allowed and more should be allowed but at the same time do I have the right to actually steal someone else's stuff when I have not paid for it?

Questions will abound but the bottom line is this: If it's not yours then it's not yours to have.

Stewardship is at the heart of honesty.

God calls everyone to stewardship. Good stewards of God's resources are going to be people who regard everything they have as belonging to God. Whatever we own is his and we must handle them as belonging to him.

This then nips greed in the bud- or it should. When we come to that place in life where we regard all things as gifts from God it then helps us to know that we can trust God for our provisions and that he will provide. We can also know that we don't need to short-cut the system of honesty and integrity to get something we don't need.

When a person is giving to God of their resources they do so because they trust God. They also recognize that God will honor their sacrifices at work and in whatever place they find themselves.

God will honor not only your sacrifice but also your honesty. Too often we can short-cut our way to financial success and think nothing of it. However, God will bless your honesty and integrity as a Christian. In fact, I am convinced that God will bless anyone's honesty and integrity regardless of whether or not they are a believer.

This whole issue of not stealing cuts to the heart of God's character. God is a holy God who cares deeply about doing things justly and fairly. God cares about us as humanity living properly and doing fairly to others.

However, greed undercuts so much of what God desires. I am convinced that what will take America down more than anything is the godless greed that we are seeing today. What a shame it is for people whether they be democrat or republican, Christian, Muslim, Jew or Atheist to cave into moral ineptitude.

The greed we have seen in recent years has created the economic mess we are in.

"Be sure your sin will find you out."

Consider Achan in Joshua 7. Achan took for himself and his family gold, jewels and clothing from Israel's battle at Jericho. The battle was won but he lost his soul in the process. Achan buried these things in the floor of the tent.

You remember the story. Achan had everything he needed.

He had his tent-home. He likely had some sheep and cattle. He had a wife and children that loved him. Achan should have been very happy. But he wasn't.

Achan -- wanted -- more.

During the battle of Jericho Achan saw some very lovely things: a beautiful robe, a piece of gold, and some silver coins. But God had said that everything belonged to him and no one was to take anything for themselves.

But Achan looked at those items and probably thought, "I sure would like to have all that. My clothes are made from sheep's wool. Those designer clothes are much nicer than the clothing I have. It would look so good on me and my family. And if I had that gold and those silver coins, why, I could buy anything I want."

Achan thought it all over in his mind. The more he thought about it, the better it sounded. The robes and all that money was just too good to pass up. He couldn't just leave it there. After all, if he didn't take it, someone else would come along and take it, right? He finally made his decision. Achan picked up the robes, the gold and the silver coins and put them in a safe place. Achan must have felt as happy as he journeyed home. But I wonder too if he must have felt guilty as well knowing that he was stealing.

I wonder if he justified his actions. "Others are getting better pay than me and I'm doing harder work than them." "Don't they know the old saying 'To the victor goes the spoils'? I'm only taking what is rightfully mine." On and on I'll bet his justification of himself went.

After Achan got home with his stolen treasures, he began to think more about what he had done. I'll bet he thought along these lines: "None of my friends have a robe like this one. It is so special that if I wear it, they will wonder where I got it. I can't tell them I found it and stole it." Then he thought about the gold and the silver. "If I take this gold to the market and try to buy new things, people will wonder how I got the gold. Only the rich people have gold and I am not rich. I can't use the silver either, because it is not from my country, and they will know that I have stolen it. What can I do now?"

Achan began to dig a hole. He dug a deep hole in the ground under his tent. In that hole, he buried the robe, the gold, and the silver. "Ah, that takes care of that!" He thought. "It is all under the ground, and no one will ever know what I have done."

Problem is, Achan forgot about God. Achan forgot that God sees everything and knows what he did. In the end, Achan had to be punished for the sin he committed.

But what happens is the whole nation suffered first. They lost an easy battle against Ai- 30 Israelites were killed. Joshua, the leader of the Israelites, went before God in prayer and God told him that there was sin in the camp. Slowly but surely the truth narrowed down and came out on Achan. His sin of theft was brought out for the whole world to see. And he and his whole family suffered the terrible consequence of death.

All for a few meaningless items that he had buried in the floor of his tent.

I realize that people do and steal far worse but let's avoid justifying the things we have and how we get them. Let's do an honest day's work for our pay. Let's pay those who work for us an honest wage. Let's not justify our actions at tax time in order to save a few bucks and in so doing lose our soul. Let's not rob God of his opportunity to bless us when we give unto him all of what he has given to us.

So how do we overcome the thoughts and temptations to take that which is not ours?

First, give thanks to God for what you already have. I really believe that a person who is truly thankful for what they have are less tempted to take what is not theirs. The reason? They trust God to supply. Which points us to a second suggestion:

Second, be content, as Paul wrote to the Philippians (4:11), in whatever state you are in. Be happy with what you have and realize that others have a whole lot less than you.

Third, give away something. Find something in your home that you can just give to someone else. It may be magazines that your friend here at church might be interested in or it might be a toaster that your neighbor needs or a box of canned goods to the food pantry. Give something away to someone else. Learn to hold the things in your possession loosely.

Fourth, love your neighbor as yourself. You would not want your neighbor sneaking into your garage and stealing something so don't do the same. You would not want the government cheating you out of your taxes so don't do likewise. And even if they do- your neighbor, the local burglar or the government, don't do wrong to those who spitefully use you. And when you see them on the street be nice to them and love them as much as Jesus does.

The Joys of Love

2011-02-15T15:01:00.001-05:00

Sunday February 13, 2011

Exodus 20:14- You shall not commit adultery.

Matthew 19:4-6- ⁴ "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'⁵ and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

These two verses affirm to us that God wants your marriage to succeed. In fact, Jesus sternly admonishes the Pharisees that it was only because of the hardness of men's hearts that divorce was even permitted. He then gives us a bottom line about marriage of which I underlined for you: "Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate."

Marriage is the greatest joy in the entire world. Talk to anyone who has been through a divorce and almost all of them would say that it is the worst kind of hell on earth.

I love being married. I love the joys of a best friend beside me through good and bad. I love the pleasure of having someone there for me and yet also the pleasure of being there for her.

Marriage should and must be a grand experience for every married couple.

"The two shall become one flesh." And so God begins the relationship between Adam and Eve as a covenant agreement not only between a man and a woman but a covenant with God.

Two one dollar bills add up to two dollars and yet they compose two pieces of paper. What God is saying essentially is that the two one dollar bills become a two dollar BILL- singular. When you rip a two dollar bill in half you don't have one dollar each- you have two halves of a two dollar bill that together make the two dollars but not together make a worthless piece of paper.

Marriage works somewhat the same. For marriage to have the right kind of value requires the two to be one in body, soul and spirit.

Marriage is not a game. This is serious stuff. Lives are blended and knit together. This is why when the family breaks down the community breaks down as well as the culture around them.

At precisely 12:55pm on June 25, 1983 I stood in the pastor's office of the Calvary Memorial Church in Muskegon- across from Reeths-Puffer School. I knew that when I walked out that door my life would change forever. I was nervous but yet anxious and excited about this new adventure in life. Maybe I didn't know any better. Two kids saying "I do" are still in love today.

My heart and passion is to see that each married couple here has a happy and fulfilling marriage. My heart and passion is that each one here would know what it is to live a life with a pure heart toward those of the opposite sex. My heart and passion is to see our families reap the joyful blessings of a Biblical kind of love.

Some observations:

First: Protection of the Family.

This seventh commandment is all about protecting the family. A healthy family will make a healthy church; a healthy church will make for a healthy community; a healthy community will make for a healthy society.

But sadly, we see too much of the opposite. Divorce rates hover at 50% among both those who are not Christian and those who claim to be Christian.

The joy of love protects the family. When a man loves a woman and when a woman loves a man in their marriage it is the difference maker in their lives, their children's lives and makes a powerful contributor to society as a whole.

One of the greatest sins to devastate a marriage is adultery. Too often people are looking for love but settle for sex. They want their cake and eat it too. They forget that there are consequences to sin- especially sexual sin. And the reality is that a person may not ever have their sin found out but God already knows.

This Commandment protects the family from distrust among the leaders and parents of the home. If mom and dad don't trust each other then the home will disintegrate in disarray.

This Commandment also protects the family from unhappy consequences. Sexual sin brings God's wrath upon a person and this can affect his or her entire family. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 gives this ultimate warning: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (NKJV)

Something else this Commandment does in protecting the family is this: it creates a legacy of holiness. I am convinced that when a husband and wife keep the marriage bed pure it has a long-term affect on their children and grandchildren. Hebrews 13:4- Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (NIV)

God knew the importance of the family for overall society. The fifth Commandment "Honor your father and mother" was to establish respect for authority. This seventh Commandment was to protect that established authority beginning in the home.

Something else this seventh commandment does is that it sets up …

Second: Purity in Friendships.

Check out these ideas that I have about this:

Purity with the opposite sex.

As a man I can be friends with other women without any other motivation. Women can be friends with other men in the same way. Furthermore, when men and women are put together in the workplace, there can be purity between workers, church people and neighbors.

When I started dating Naomi we attended the District Family Camp over in St. Louis, MI for several days together. In the process of those days she became friends with my previous girlfriend, Robin Weaver. If we had not been pure in our relationship that sure would have made that friendship pretty awkward.

Fast forward to about 6 or 7 years ago. Someone in the church blessed Naomi and I with some time at a hotel in Muskegon with enough money to go to Red Lobster for Valentine's. As we sat in our booth having dinner we overheard the couple next to us question the waitress about something we had ordered. When we looked over- guess who? Robin and her husband Harvey. Again, there was no need to be embarrassed, blushing or any guilt.

I say this to emphasize how important it is for single people to maintain sexual purity. There is NEVER any heartache by saving sex for marriage. NEVER.

In maintaining this purity let's not leave out pornography. I have been told as a pastor not to be naïve- "over 1/3 of your men ARE involved with pornography in some way." Pornography makes sexual victims of someone's daughter or wife. Pornography is never right and certainly should not be entertained by men who

There also needs to be…

Purity with accountability.

This commandment creates accountability not only to God but to others. I am accountable to my wife, to my God and to my church for my relationships. I have a friend who is my accountability partner who I keep an account with. You need that as well- someone in your peer group of whom you can give an account and someone you will listen to when they see something that shouldn't be going on.

I have another friend in ministry who once told me that he never thought about the pictures in his office of the teens that he was ministering to. Kids would give him pictures- especially girls- and he would put them on the wall. One day another pastor-friend was visiting him and confronted him with: "Where are the pictures of your wife and family?" He never had any wrong motivations but his friend was simply warning him and holding him accountable to something he never saw.

Naomi would warn me about other girls in our youth ministry over the years. I have never been offended about my wife asking me questions about anything. I've never worried about my kids using my computer or sifting through my books or magazines.

More than anything we want to keep…

Purity within relationships.

The Apostle Paul told the young preacher, Timothy these words of wisdom that I have taken to heart: "¹ Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, ² older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity." (NIV 2010) Every man and every woman should take to heart these things in order to keep their relationships intact with others.

You will not see me with a woman in the neighborhood of my age or younger in my company going somewhere. I must protect my reputation. I have heard too many horror stories of pastors who did stupid things like meeting another woman for dinner somewhere or going out of town together to an event- even a Christian event. We must guard ourselves from even the suggestion of sin.

This purity in relationships extends even to…

Purity of communication.

When we respect others properly there is a cleaning up of our language and the way we speak about others. There should never be any course language about the opposite sex; there should never be dirty jokes told among men; there should only be words that uplift and bring glory to God.

Obviously, I could continue on but suffice to say if you want to experience the joys of love in your home that it is protected by this seventh commandment as well as giving you the right perspective on relationships. These further along that joy of love by give you a…

Third: Power in Love.

Love is a many splendored thing and yet love has been so confused with lust in our world. God's desire is not that we would make way for lust but be purveyors of His love in the home, in the Church and in the world.

Love does overcome a multitude of sins. Love breaks the distrust in a relationship and allows a couple to deepen their love through the difficulties and problems.

Love is a very powerful weapon in making a marriage work. Notice these concepts about love:

Love is a verb. This action verb is supposed to be what drives you to work and back home at night. This action verb is what overcomes the arguments, disagreements and division in a relationship.
Love is a choice. You choose to love your spouse. If love doesn't get past feelings then this will be a long row to hoe. In this choice of loving the other, forgiveness becomes easier, forgetting the others errors becomes easier and working together in the home becomes easier. Don't get me wrong, marriage is always going to be hard work, but that work is a whole lot easier with the right tools and the right tool to have is choosing to love the other.
Love is from God. In the beginning of time there was love and communication between the members of the Trinity. This very character and essence of God is what he desires for us to live out in our homes and church and community. Not a love based on performance orientation or a love that is like plucking flower petals (he loves me, he loves me not).

A powerful key to a happy marriage is found in Ephesians 5:25- "Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for her." When I talk with a husband who is frustrated with his wife about something this is my go-to verse. Likewise, by go-to verse for wives is found a few verses later (33): "The wife must respect her husband."

There is power in love when this love is love from God. When two people come together they are experiencing something that words can hardly define. And yet the world tries and messes it up all the time.

Love is that very essence of your life so that whatever you do you do out of love for God, love for your spouse, love for your family, love for your church and love for others. Love puts others before you.

Fourth: Purpose in Marriage.

Sex is for marriage and marriage only between a man and a woman. There is no room given to "civil unions" or marriages of people of the same sex in Scripture.

"The Puritan doctrine of sex was a watershed in the cultural history of the West. The Puritans devalued celibacy, glorified companionate marriage, affirmed marriage sex as both necessary and pure, established the ideal of wedded romantic love and exalted the role of the wife." In other words, the Puritans brought a sexual reformation to Christianity and the world.

God purposes in a marriage that the couple should love Him.

God also purposes in a marriage that the couple should love each other.

God then purposes in a marriage that the couple serves the Church.

When a man and woman set these in their sights they will find a marriage that will really work.

Conclusion: they lived happily ever after.

I'm not sure what "happily ever after" is supposed to mean but what I do know is that this life we are living is no fairy tale.

Your marriage will face obstacles and we as the Church of God in all the world will be facing difficult days. How do we take this commandment now and go into all the world with the message that Jesus saves?

First, live a pure life. Whether married, divorced, widowed, or single be pure in all of your actions toward others. Somehow when our relationships are what they should be, we will live this "happily ever after" kind of life. Maybe not like the fairy tales suggest but a life that is at peace with others and with God.

Second, follow after Jesus. I cannot help but believe that the person who puts their hand in Jesus' hand is going to live happily ever after. When a person lets the Holy Spirit have control of their life they always become something better than they could have otherwise.

Third, guard your life. Ephesians 4:27 warns us: "do not give the devil a foothold." Guard your heart and mind against this culture that would lead you into living for the wrong purpose and doing what your heart knows is the wrong thing. It's amazing how selfishness can destroy even the best of relationships no matter what level or area that relationship. Sports teams, companies, churches and homes are destroyed when the seed of selfishness is allowed to fester and grow.

Fourth, learn the art of forgiveness. There is nothing that will do more harm than an attitude of unforgiveness- both toward others and toward yourself. Forgive those who have trespassed against you. Forgive yourself for your own foolishness and sin. Allow the blood of Christ to cleanse your life and make you whole.

WHEN YOUR WORLD IS COMING APART

2011-02-09T11:15:00.001-05:00

October 24, 2010

Message about Suicide

{I did not intend this message to be one filled with pat answers about life's problems. There are too many problems in life to be able to answer all of them to satisfaction. However, I do know a God through Jesus Christ who loves you and me right where we are at in life.}

I was sitting in my office sermonizing for the next Sunday when my telephone rang. After sifting through the papers on my desk I located the telephone and pushed talked:

"Hello." "Pastor Rob, this Bill Harris." "Hey, Bill, what's up." "I have Joyce Burmeister coming and she was wondering if you would mind doing her husband's funeral? He died by suicide."

My heart sunk. I had the privilege of having his father's funeral eight months before. Of course, I wanted to know what happened. Naomi and I immediately went out to their farm in Coopersville.

What do you say in those moments? How do you preach a sermon to those who are left behind? Where do the survivors go from this tragic point?

My purpose in bringing this message is to raise awareness about suicide. My hope is that you or those you know who face this terrible crisis of life would realize that help is available.

Let me clear up a couple of thoughts: This is not a message about death at the end of life. People choose or don't choose to allow certain medical procedures for various reasons. There are life and death decisions that families have to make with prayerful guidance.

I also desire to be compassionate with those who have had to deal with this issue. The fact is that every one of us has had to face this reality when a friend, relative, loved one, co-worker, neighbor or acquaintance took their life. We had a youth group to deal with when a young teen took his life; a sermon to preach when a husband and father took his life; a funeral to attend when an uncle took his life.

We are all affected in some way.

The scripture I have selected for us to consider is about a man named Ahithophel. Ahithophel was on the wrong side of civil war between those who supported King David and those who supported his rebel son, Absalom. Ahithophel supported Absalom. He gave guidance to him and advice on what steps to make next. He was to Absalom who Rahm Emmanuel was to Barak Obama or Karl Rove was to George Bush, Jr. He was the man with the plan. However, his plan came to be rejected and in that rejection he saw the writing on the wall of his life. Men like him don't take rejection very well and he knew that his life suddenly was on a short leash. And so he took matters into his own hands.

[Scripture reading]

What about you? Have you had recent thoughts of wishing you were dead? Have you thought about suicide? "Oh, come on, Pastor. I'm a Christian. I would never think about that!"

Consider what some statistics tells us:

All age groups
Every stratus
Every Class
All walks of life
No religion exception
Everyone!

The numbers tell us that there are

300,000 Suicides yearly
1 attempt per minute; 1 death every 16 minutes by suicide
1,000,000 Internationally- more than war & homicide
90% + suffering from mental disease, depression or substance abuse
For every 100,000 18 men commit suicide; for every 100,000 5 women
The highest groups are composed white males (75% of all death by suicides; men over 65 seem to be the most vulnerable.
1 teen dies by suicide every 90 minutes
6 people are directly affected by suicide

A Variety of uses are employed and obviously the highest choice is firearms- which may be because of availability and simplicity.

But why would someone kill themselves? I attended a funeral of the Vice-chairman and Sunday School Superintendent of one of our district's Wesleyan churches some ten or twelve years ago. This upstanding Wesleyan had given in to a venial sin that was set to undo his entire life and family. The only way he saw out was like Judas who betrayed Christ- by taking his own life.

I want to say to you that there is forgiveness for sin and there is restoration of the soul but only through Jesus Christ. I and other scholars have wondered what would have happened if Judas had run to Jesus and confessed his failure?

Mental disease and…
Depression can go together.
Failure- business bankruptcy;
Loss- joblessness, financial strains
Grief- loved one or one's own sense of hopelessness
Bullying- goes on a lot more than we think! A person feels like they can't handle it anymore.
Guilt- sinful behavior- broken laws- murder/suicides
Disappointment- Life just doesn't have meaning anymore
Rejection- by family or friends for wrongful behavior; not measuring up to peer group

And I am sure there are other reasons. In his book Why People Die by Suicide, Thomas Joiner (2006) outlines several theories of suicide that have emerged over the past two centuries. In this theory, Joiner says that those who kill themselves not only have a desire to die, they have learned to overcome the instinct for self-preservation. That is, wanting death, according to Joiner, is composed of two psychological experiences: a perception of being a burden to others (perceived burdensomeness) and social disconnection to something larger than oneself (thwarted belongingness).

The idea behind burdensomeness is that suicidal people believe that their death is worth more to the people who love them than their life is; they no longer feel purposeful. Because humans are so hardwired for connection, social isolation and ruptured relationships can increase a desire for suicide in some people. People often need to feel that they belong to something larger than themselves, and when they do – through an intimate relationship, a faith community, a school, a neighborhood – these relationships can often serve as a buffer through hard times. [And so] many people can experience suicide desire, but never act on these feelings because they do not have [both parts of the equation working together.]

In other words, by themselves, neither of these states (perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness) is enough to move a person to act on the desire for death, but together with an acquired capacity (or fearlessness) they result in a high risk state for suicide. Sometimes this acquired capacity is developed over a lifetime of provocative and painful experiences of trauma and injury. Other times it builds as a person moves from suicidal thought to increasingly lethal behavior. Still, there are many people who have survived trauma and others who purposely put themselves at risk (e.g., daredevils, adrenaline junkies) who never take their lives because they do not have a desire for suicide. ("Understanding Suicide" Sally Spencer-Thomas www.peoplepreventsuicide.org/understanding-suicide )

So what say we this morning? A few thoughts:

FIRST (and foremost) Suicide is never in God's Plan.

God Values Life.
After all, God is the author of life. He created the universe and everything in it. In fact, we are not our own- we were bought with a price.
Scripture promotes Life. You never find the Bible speaking of the destitution of life without promoting the meaning of life. Jesus spoke of a man losing his life to find his life but not in the sense of killing one's self literally.
Everyone wants Life.
Every human being fights to live under normal circumstances. We are hardwired to be survivors even in the face of danger. Our Maker made us this way- to want to live.

However…

Satan despises Life.

^"The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." John 10:10

SECOND: Life is for Everyone.

Life comes from God. Psalm 139 (of which we will get to in a little more depth later) speaks of being "fearfully and wonderfully made." The concept that the Psalmist gives us is that when we were knit together in our mother's womb, God carefully crafted our being.
God knows your name. Jesus said that our heavenly Father knows everything about us. He knows even the very hairs on our head and so we are not to worry about what we will eat or even what we will wear. I find it interesting that what gets someone's attention in the Scriptures is when their name is spoken: "Moses" Samuel" "Mary"
God creates nothing in vain. Everything that God created in the beginning was created with purpose and for God's world. Don't ask me about mosquitoes and fleas and ticks, though. However, everything and especially you was not created in vain.

Life is important. You have importance. And regardless of how you may feel about yourself at this moment…

THIRD: You can have hope Restored.

One of the worst places a person can get to is that place of hopelessness. Without hope we struggle to live a life of significance and purpose. But for the Christian there are some answers that help us restore hope to life.

There is purpose in Jesus Christ. I like Jeremiah 29:11-14a "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. And I will be found by you."
There is recovery by Jesus Christ. We have forgiveness of sins, restoration of our soul and our broken heart healed. I can tell you that for me this is very significant. I have been a very broken man and the heart of this child has been broken. But because of God's great love for me I am no consumed by death.
There is perseverance through Jesus Christ. It is then that I am able to get through the difficult places in life. I realize that others will say "you never know what you would do in my shoes" but I guess I would like to think that my Lord is watching over me and that as long as I trust in him I can get through anything that life brings my way.
Life begins with the death of Jesus Christ. Jesus said "I come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." Jesus' death is our entrance into his life. With his presence within our beings we can see life more clearly and enjoy the purpose for which we are created: to give glory to God.

Conclusion: Psalm 139

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
   they would outnumber the grains of sand—
   when I awake, I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
   Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
   your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD,
   and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
   I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
   test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting.

I am an original thought!
I am someone wonderful!
I am not a mistake!
I have purpose!
God will never stop loving me!

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Please, please call me! 231-861-5375 or 231-301-0781. Life is too beautiful and your life is too valuable to lose!!

CHOOSE LIFE AND LIVE

2011-02-09T11:09:00.001-05:00

Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 30:9

Sunday February 6, 2011

CHOOSE LIFE AND LIVE. Most of us remember the story of Cain and Able. Able offered his sacrifice in obedience by faith to God and it was accepted. Cain offered God his sacrifice but it was rejected by God. Cain became insanely jealous of Able, lured him into a field and killed him.

After Cain killed Able he had to face the consequences of his sin of murder. God cannot leave a crime- especially of this magnitude- unpunished. The one who is killed demands that justice prevail. Because blood is the source of life, this life belongs ultimately to God to give by grace or to take by his will.

Cain is cursed by God. He is punished for his sin and will live the rest of his days as a wanderer in the wilderness and desert. Whenever there is murder, there is and must be a profound change in the murderer's environment and for Cain, this happens. He goes to the land of Nod, a place of scarcity, loneliness and separation from God. He will be a fugitive forever with a life of uncertainty and restlessness.

God's mercy extends to Cain though. A mark is put on him so that any who would strive to track Cain down seeking a blood vengeance would be protected. What this mark is no one knows or can hardly speculate.

The point is that even with a crime as terrible as cold-blooded murder, the murderer never loses his or her personal dignity. Hard to believe: God preferred the correction rather than the death of a sinner, and did not then nor desires now that a homicide be punished by the rule of another homicide. (This is why I personally stand against the death penalty. If God was against it in the beginning then maybe I need to consider his position. Yes, Israel had certain laws that required death but this was as much about cleansing a land after Egypt as well as maintaining a semblance of law and order in a time when jails and prisons were not very convenient.)

What is sad is that since the very first real sin and murder between two human beings, murder in some of its more vile forms has splattered the history of humanity with the blood of innocents- and those not so innocent.

Our scripture texts highlight for us this very important Sixth Commandment. Exodus 20:13- "You shall not murder." And then Deuteronomy 30:9- "Choose life so that you and your descendents may live."

All human life is sacred. The proposition I lay before you today is that all of human life is sacred and human beings are endowed with certain Biblical "rights"-

God's love for the person ("For God so loved the world" John 3:16a; Ephesians 1:4; Titus 1:2)
Personal dignity ("Let us make man in our image" Genesis 1:26; Psalm 139:14)
The gospel of Life in Christ ("I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly- John 10:10b).

We maintain as Christians that every human being has intrinsic value in the eyes of God and therefore deserves that same value in the eyes of humanity. There are no "mistakes" born, there are no "accidents" of pregnancy and everyone is "fearfully and wonderfully made" by the very hand of God himself.

Jane Valez-Mitchell, a CNN personality who has her own program said this about an especially heinous murder: "It's incomprehensible to me what people will do for money, for diamonds, for gold. They will kill!"

At the Root of Murder. People kill over obsession and possession. They can't let go of a certain situation, what someone says and the lines between life and death become blurred. At the root of murder you will find anger, envy, bitterness and strife. You will also find selfishness, cover-up for sin, vengeance and despair.

And might I add, guns don't kill people- people kill people. Cain used a club to accomplish what he had set in his heart to do.

What must we realize about this sixth commandment if we are to protect ourselves from committing such a dastardly act? How shall we live as Christians that brings honor and glory and praise instead of hatred, strife and murder?

FIRST: Living as God Intended.

One of the great callings of God for his people is expressed in both the Old and New Testament with these simple words: "Be holy as I am holy." (Lev. 11:45; 1 Peter 1:16)

With these words we understand that as followers of Jesus Christ we are to live a very different life from those of the world. We are to live a life of love for God and love for our neighbor. This standard for living as God intended will never bring despair or churn up a murdering heart for others. When we strive to live out the very character of God by the power of the Holy Spirit we are on the right track to living out this command of living a holy life.

What does this mean?

Jesus expresses something very important for us to understand in Matthew 5:21-22-
²¹ "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sisterwill be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, 'Raca,' is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."

We gather from these verses these ideals:

We must reflect the character of God. We do this when we follow the example set by Jesus and obey the commands from the scriptures about human life.
We must treat others with respect. This includes those who hate us and spitefully use us. This includes providing for the widows, the orphans, the poor and needy.
We must keep our hands and heart clean from sinful thoughts. Just because you are a Christian does not mean that the devil won't tempt you. He is crafty and will strive to sidetrack you from obeying God and from protecting your mind. Remember what Paul told his Roman listeners: Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

In 1995 the late Pope John Paul II wrote what is called a "Encyclical Letter" to the Bishops and Cardinals and the whole Catholic Church entitled "Evangelium Vitae- The Gospel of Life". Yours truly has been reading it and studying what he had to say about life with immense admiration. Yes, he was not Wesleyan but he addresses the issues of the sanctity of human life in no uncertain terms as well.

He says that "man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence because it consists in sharing the very life of God." Just by us human beings dotting the earth, we at the very guttural base share in the life of God himself. In other words, whether we are Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, atheist; black, white, red, brown or yellow; Republican, Democrat, Communist, Socialist; or any other stripe as a human person we owe it to each other to treat each other with respect and dignity.

When I funeralize a dead man or woman I am messing with the very dignity of that person who was created in the image of God and after God's triune likeness.

He goes on to lament the state of the world concerning the sanctity of human life by saying that we are…

SECOND: Living in a Culture of Death.

The Killing Fields of Cambodia lie silent today. But in the late 1970's the Khmer Rouge regime of this Southeastern Asia nation was a literal killing field. Almost 1/4^th of the 8 million Cambodians died by intentional murder of the government through mass killings, torture, starvation and the like.

And despite the Holocaust of six million Jews in the 1940's, the world looked on as this occurred. And it still has not stopped. Saddam Hussein tortured and killed to protect his dictatorship and even gassed his own people; Rwanda suffered terrible civil war where people groups killed each other; Serbia and Bosnia has been a killing field for a thousand years; and all sorts of atrocities against all kinds of human beings.

There is not a person in the Middle East who goes to the store wondering if some crazed homicide-bomber is going to blow himself or herself up in the name of Allah at the behest of Muslim extremists.

What in the devil is going on in our world?

Death is Everywhere. No matter when we turn on the television there is crime that almost certainly includes murder.
Death is Celebrated. Hollywood and the television industry makes their money off of death. And too often this programming celebrates death rather than life.
Death comes out the darkness of the human heart. Jesus said this in Matthew 15:19-20a "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what makes a man unclean…" Notice at the very top of his list is murder.

When a person is not living out the holy life of God's character he does not know truly know what he or she is capable of doing to another person or even themselves.

Which points us squarely to the next line of reasoning for us to consider:

THIRD: Living Next Door to Self-Justification.

Ravi Zacharias wrote this in his book Deliver Us From Evil (p. 96)- We are "a culture schizophrenically staring into the face of our own wickedness." We find ways to justify our own behaviors so that we can cry foul against someone else's.

As American Christians we must face the truth about this commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill" in our own backyard.

What about some hot-button issues? Euthanasia, Suicide and Abortion are problems that go beyond the necessary recognition of the personal situations. How can make sense, in other words, of what is right or wrong about these?

Let's tackle them one at a time.

Euthanasia. First, Jack Kevorkian "don't" know Jack about human life. Pulling the plug on a person's life has to be one of the most difficult decisions a family has to ever make. When Naomi and I were in high school, one of our classmates, Marie Bosma, fell asleep and drove over the third level of the tri-bridge connecting the Causeway with US-31. She was essentially dead when paramedics arrived. Her parents, good friends of Naomi's family, had to make the very difficult decision to stop all efforts to keep her breathing. Scans showed that she was brain-dead. All of us students took it hard; many were weeping openly in class when the news came.

There is a radical difference between terminating life and terminating treatment. Kevorkian and those like him want to terminate the life of the living. But when a family after seeking much prayer and counsel see no need to continue treatment of a loved one that is only staving off the inevitable, may terminate treatment and leave the person and circumstance up to God; I see no wrong in this. The Terri Schivo case bothered so many Christians because there was a family who wanted to continue to take care of her in spite of her very limited brain activity. What's wrong with that? Instead, the media- especially the liberal media- roped her situation into everything else and never separating the truth from fiction.

Suicide. Does a person have the legal right to take their own life? Maybe, maybe not. Do they have the ethical right? No. To commit suicide is to claim lordship over one's own life and this is wrong. (Philip Graham Ryken Written In Stone p. 141) A person is essentially making themselves their own God. However, let's not forget the problem of mental health. (Time does not allow me to digress but only to refer you to the sermon I gave last October about suicide.)

Abortion. We believe as Christians and as Wesleyans that a child in the womb is a living human being. Human life comes from God not from the government. And yet there are governments all over the world- not just ours- that believes abortion is the right of a woman. What about the rights of the child? But let's also understand the love and mercy needed for the woman who may have done something out of state of confusion and ignorance. Our culture of death has victimized countless women who live many sleepless nights because of what they did. May God's forgiveness and mercy extend to them.

John Calvin wrote this: "The fetus, though enclosed in the womb of its mother, is already a human being, and it is almost a monstrous crime to rob it of the life which it has not yet begun to enjoy."

Hear me out on this: When murder is allowed in any way it has the power to do more than kill a person; it has the power to kill shame, reason and meaning. The most perverse idea is that murder is okay- no matter now justified the killing may seem. And when that occurs-whether it's in an abortion clinic or the hands of a homicide-bomber- truth and morality become casualties.

Even more sad, our young people see life as expendable to benefit the many and the healthy and those with prospects and promise.

And so what must we do from this point is be a people who are…

FOURTH: Living a Life that is Beautiful.

The soul of a nation is changed one person at a time. (Ravi Zacharias) If we are going to live out this mantra then it behooves us to take seriously the kind of life we live.

Live life to the fullest in Christ Jesus. Too many times we want to keep this so-called "right to privacy" when it comes to our religion. My Bible doesn't seem to speak it that way. May we be like the Apostle Paul who wrote: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of every one- to the Jew first and then the Gentile." Romans 1:16
Be a model of love and faith. Love God and live out that love. Love others and love them according to Biblical standards. Love your self as you ought. AND live a life of faith. Trust God for everything (and maybe even vengeance against those who are your enemies.)
Be a Good Samaritan every day. Take care of those who cannot care for themselves. That is really what being neighborly is all about.

Conclusion:
Life is beautiful.

In the shadows of depression our two little grandsons were born. Life was about as hard on us as it had ever been. However, through the excitement of their birth, God showed us the beauty of life and fighting to live the kind of life we were called to live.

No amount of drugs, alcohol or sex will make life more meaningful in a person's life than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I've got good news for you: Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead offers you forgiveness for sins and freedom from the sinfulness that binds so many people. You don't need to be a victim of hatred and strife. You don't need to be a person who reacts to others out of anger and bitterness. Through Jesus Christ you can know what it is to be forgiven and cleansed from sin so that you can proclaim to others what it means to live life for real.

Life is beautiful.

Something Beautiful.

Something Beautiful, something good.

All of my confusion He understood.

All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife.

But He made something beautiful of my life.

4th Commandment: Remember the Sabbath Day

2011-01-27T08:32:00.001-05:00

ENTERING INTO GOD'S REST

Exodus 20:8-11

David Green had to be happy with the success of his company. After all, they were taking in $100 million a year in Sunday sales alone. Their "sales-per-hour" were the highest on Sunday. The founder, owner and Chief Executive Officer of the company found himself thinking of his earlier days when he would be getting ready to go to church and would be wondering if the store was opened alright. Did everybody show up for work the way they were supposed to? Did all the sale signs get put up on the correct items? Will the staff stay alert for any pilferage?

He knew that every store manager across the chain was now doing the same thing. Good Christian people going to church and yet not able to really focus on worship because they were concerned that their store was alright. And then his thoughts went to his regular workers. Here he was striving to operate a Christian business using sound Biblical principles and yet knew that some of his employees were having to give up going to church so the store could be open for business.

And so David Green of Hobby Lobby took an unprecedented step and closed the stores in Nebraska as a kind of experiment. Yes, sales to took a dip. And then God spoke up to David Green (who also serves on the Board of Directors for Indiana Wesleyan University): "Oh… so if you're blessed you're going to be obedient? But if the numbers don't work out for you, then maybe not?"

David called his advertising director and told him to publicly announce that all of the Hobby Lobby stores would closed on Sundays. "It's a done deal."

What he didn't know was that the bankers became nervous because Hobby Lobby (like a lot of successful businesses) owed the banks money.

But then a very curious thing happened: sales volumes rebounded and kept climbing.

You can imagine the response from employees. They were no longer to come in Sunday mornings and work the store. Now they only come in two Sundays evenings a year to restock during the Christmas holidays.

David Green says this: "I just continue to believe that if God is able to make 90% of a tithing person's salary go further than 100%, He is able to make six days better than seven."

[More Than a Hobby by Larry Green pp. 133-137]

What are we supposed to do with this day- Today- as a part of our Christian lives?

There has been much disagreement throughout the centuries and especially in these days concerning Sunday and how we are to live out the Sabbath in our lives.

Even within this Church there has been disagreement. I was clued in when I met the Local Board in my interview when they asked me my view. And then after the evening service that day a good sister inquired of me once again.

And now, Today- this Lord's Day, we come up upon the fourth commandment with abated breath. Many of you are anxious to hear what I've got to say. Well, here goes. Agree with me, disagree with- that's alright. However, after much prayer and exhaustive research I have come to some conclusions that I believe will cause all of us to think and ponder this great command from God.

God takes very seriously the issue of the Sabbath day. He wanted to make sure that his newly saved people who have been "carried on eagles' wings" from the land of slavery would understand that they are a different people- God's very own treasured possession.

There are some important

Theological implications about the Sabbath.

…that are too important for us to ignore.

Strict about sticks. Not only were they to make God their only God; not only were they to make no idols; and nor were they to take the Lord's name in vain but He called on them to set aside on day a week to rest from all of their labors. So serious was this day to our Lord that a man was gathering sticks on the Sabbath that he was stoned to death outside of the camp.

Can you imagine coming home from church on the Sabbath and you discover that your fire is almost out and your teenager forgot to stock extra wood yesterday? So you go out a grab a couple of logs not thinking anything of it and- WHAMMO!- the Sabbath police have slammed you against their car, frisking you for weapons and hauling you before Moses. Before you know it you are trotted outside of the camp and stoned to death.

In Exodus 16 God graciously provides the people with manna. Each day there was a fresh supply. However, they discovered if they tried to hoard it they found it full of maggots the next morning. But on the sixth day there would be a double supply so that they did not need to gather on the Sabbath. Yet, there were some who went out to gather on the Sabbath and found none. They weren't stoned but they learned a lesson.

Exodus 35:3- "Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day."

Harsh God? Mean God? Crazy God? Seems that way except the man knew the agreement before he stepped outside on the Sabbath to gather some sticks. All of the congregation knew as well God's desire of them to be fully obedient to Him.

God wants his treasured possession to understand that they are no longer in Egypt. He further wants them to realize that they are to take seriously what he desires to do with them as a nation. And they need to know that there are consequences for deliberately rejecting God's ways.

Other Old Testament writers speak about the failure of God's people to "remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy."

Isaiah 58:13-14- ¹³ "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, ¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. (NIV 2010)

Another passage for us to consider comes from the book of Nehemiah about…

Restoring the Sabbath. The book of Nehemiah highlights the need for the people of Israel to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember, the nation of Israel and Judah had displeased God so much that finally after several centuries of constant disobedience they are swarmed by enemy nations and carried off in what is known as the Babylonian Captivity. People like Daniel and the three Hebrew boys are made slaves to another nation. But after 70 some years God brings the people back to their homeland. Under the leadership of the governor, Nehemiah, they rebuild their beloved city, Jerusalem, set walls around her and rebuild the temple.

Nehemiah takes a trip back to Babylon. However, when he returns, Nehemiah discovers that they are treating the Sabbath just like any other ordinary work day. Salesman are coming and going on the Sabbath like they would any other day. He puts a stop to it. He bars the gates to the city and does not allow them in. He even threatens them with death if they hang around trying to tempt the people into sin. (Nehemiah 13)

When we come to the New Testament there is a paradigm shift that takes place. Nearly all reputable scholars recognize this. It begins with Jesus.

Jesus- Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus decides to heal a man on the Sabbath. (John 12) The Pharisees were abhorred by this action. After all, hundreds of years of tradition had established 39 different classifications of what they called "fathers of work." This included how far a person was allowed to walk on the Sabbath, what they could do and what constituted work. And even then they realized that they could not cover all circumstances so they came up with a list of 1521 derivatives. (Finding Your Maximum Happiness by Dr. Wilbur J. Williams p. 62)

When Jesus healed on the Sabbath he was working. He then pointed out that God, even after creation, never stopped working because he is sustaining the world.

Jesus also authorizes his disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath so they could eat. (Mark 2) Once again he shows the Pharisees the fallacies in their traditions about keeping the day holy.

And then Jesus makes a startling claim: he says, "I am the Lord of the Sabbath."

Yikes! Jesus is saying that he owns the Sabbath. What does he mean by this?

Jesus is our rest. Remember when he said, "Come to me all of you are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest"?

The Tragedy of Ananias & Sapphira. One more correlation I want to make comes from Acts 5. God's people are fresh off of the Day of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit is given to believers. Thousands have been saved, have become followers of Jesus Christ and are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. In establishing the Church of God a whole new way of living came into existence. A person is to cease from all of his or her labors for salvation and now clings only to the cross of Jesus Christ.

The early church was collecting funds to take care of the poor and those in need. Various members were selling property and things they owned and presenting the money to the Apostles. Ananias and Sapphira sell a piece of property but decide to keep part of it for themselves and pretend to give the full amount. What happens must have stunned this new Christian community!

First Ananias enters and lays the funds before the Apostle Peter. He is confronted for lying to God and immediately drops dead. He is carried out by the young men at the door. A little while later his wife, Sapphira, is summoned. She agrees to the lie and Peter says to her: "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?" She immediately drops dead as well. "And great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things." (Acts 5:1-11)

The Quietness of the New Testament. Throughout the New Testament there is an unusual silence about the importance of Sabbath keeping.

First of all, there was a shift from Saturday to Sunday. And this tradition has carried on in most of Christianity to today. We gather together and worship as a celebration of Christ's resurrection on the first day of the week and our new life in Jesus Christ. Time and again this was referred to as "the Lord's Day."

Secondly, there is no reaffirmation of the fourth commandment as there is of the other commands. In fact, in Acts 15 the Christian leaders in Jerusalem send a letter to the new Christians in Antioch and speak nothing of keeping the Sabbath holy as a part of their salvation requirements. Listen to the last part of their letter: "²⁸ It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: ²⁹ You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things." (NIV 2010)

Aside from the Seventh Day Adventist denomination, there are no others that truly keep the Sabbath day as dictated in the Ten Commandments. This must not be ignored.

A third observation is that the Sabbath has been fulfilled in and through Jesus Christ.

According to Hebrews 4:9-11 we see these words:

⁹ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. ¹¹ Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

In previous verses of Hebrews there is a discussion about those who failed to put their trust in God for complete deliverance from Egypt and Pharaoh's army. Furthermore, they did not enter into the Promised Land because God barred them from doing so and they died in the wilderness because of their unbelief. John MacArthur aptly points out that God's "rest" is that which is given by God that includes his peace, confidence of salvation, reliance on his strength and assurance of a future heavenly home. (MacArthur Study Bible)

John Wesley writes in his Explanatory Notes: "It is then only when [God's Rest] is mixed with faith, that it exerts its saving power…
For we only [who] have believed enter into the rest."

What happens when you become a Christian is that by faith in the finished work of Christ you come to him believing that he died for your sins and in this moment of forgiveness you enter into the Sabbath rest of Christ setting aside all of your works for salvation.

What got the man gathering sticks killed is not so much that he did work on the Sabbath but that he disbelieved God and did not trust that God would provide. This serves us an illustration that those who reject Jesus Christ's work on the cross for salvation will eventually die in the wilderness like other unbelievers. This spiritual death is an eternal death of separation from God in an eternity in hell.

A new age has dawned by the work of Jesus Christ. Instead of adherence to the Sabbath day and keeping it holy, everyone who claims Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior must keep his life holy every day of the week. Every day becomes the Lord's Day.

This is why Paul says in Romans 14:5-8-
⁵ One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord;and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. (NKJV)

I kind of like Eugene Peterson's interpretation: ⁵Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience. ^6-9What's important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God's sake; (Message Bible)

The Wesleyan Church. So what do we say as Wesleyans? What is required of us as a denomination in order to maintain ourselves as members? There are two references:

The Wesleyan Discipline 265:1- To reverence the name of God and to honor the Lord's Day by divine worship and spiritual edification, participating in those activities which contribute to the moral and spiritual purposes of this day. Gen. 2:3; Ex. 20:3, 7-11; Deut. 5:11-15; Isa. 58:13-14; Mark 2:27; Acts 20:7; Heb. 4:9.

The Wesleyan Discipline 410.7- The Lord's Day. God prescribed that one day a week be set aside for the spiritual, mental and physical well being of humankind (Genesis 2:2-3; Deuteronomy 5:12-14). The Wesleyan Church encourages its members to observe the Lord's Day in an appropriate manner (Romans 14:4-6)

All of this leads to these…

PRACTICAL GUIDELINES FOR CHRISTIANS.

As followers of Jesus Christ we are to have faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross so that we might have the forgiveness of sins and enter into a relationship with God. This new life that we now have calls on us to live a life of love through obedience to the commands of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Old Testament speaks fervently about maintaining the Sabbath day- the seventh day of the week- apart from all other days. God's emphasis about the Sabbath leaves no wiggle room for the person who is desiring to be in a right relationship with God.

The New Testament speaks differently about the Sabbath and we see that there is a paradigm shift that takes place. No longer is the focus on the day itself but upon the spiritual rest that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ and a life of following after him and his example.

In your pursuit of God and living a godly life as a Christ follower, do not approach this 4^th commandment or any other command with the attitude that says, "Let me see what I am allowed to do" or "how bad can I be and still be okay."

How do we honor the 4^th Commandment from the Old Testament times in these last days of the New Testament times?

First, Be a Committed Follower of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.
Jesus is your resting place from sin.
By the Holy Spirit's power walk and live as Jesus did.

Second, Celebrate the Lord's Day Wholeheartedly.

Make your Church the center of your life. You are a part of a holy nation now. You are
The Christian life is not an ON/OFF switch. You can't live the Christ life in here if you "ain't livin' it" out there.
Embrace Sunday with a renewed passion. Clear out the clutter of the Lord's Day so that you can spend it attending Church, breaking bread with other believers and ministering to those in need.
Make the Lord's Day different. Treat it as a special day for your family and God. Too many golf courses are cluttered; too many stores and too many restaurants are trying to feed the human soul with things and food that cannot save. Martin Luther was right: Sunday is a day for the preaching and teaching of God's Word. This is what feeds the human soul, not the things of the world.
Be a Witness of Christ. I think the old timers are on to something when they strive to avoid unnecessary commerce on Sunday. There is something to the Biblical thought patterns of companies like "Hobby Lobby," "Russ' Restaurants" and "Chick-Fil-A" who do not operate on Sunday. I have to agree to the comment: "How can I tell a restaurant waitress that I had a good time at church- boy, I wish you could have been there."

Third, Commune with God Every day.

Every day should be the Lord's Day. Again, this life doesn't come with an ON/OFF switch. Let God's mercies be new to you every morning. Breath in the freshness of His Spirit so that you can be all God calls you to be in Christ each and every day.
Get serious about your life in Christ.
Renew your devotional life. Become a part of the Sunday School and/or Bible Study.

Fourth, Fellowship as a Community of Believers.

Hebrews 10:24-25- ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (NIV 2010)

Do not forsake participating in Church. Come to church, engage yourself with other believers and prepare yourself for the return of Christ.
Encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ. None of us really know what others are going through in the last week. Some of you come in with heavy burdens. This is an opportunity for us to support each other and even cheer up our discouraged family members.
Invite various members over for dinner after Church. Get to know each other by having dinner together. I wonder if this is a lost art in our hustle and bustle of life. We've become too busy to get to know each other. And I put myself right at the heart of this issue.
Do not lay a stumbling block in front of your brother or sister. Okay, so God gives you the freedom to do certain things. Great. I beg of those who believe that God allows them to do certain things on Sunday to do so quietly. And for those who have convictions against doing certain things to do so with reverence for God without jealously of the freedoms another brother and sister are allowed. Leave these things in God's hands who will judge all of us in the end.

Conclusion: Be the witness to the world that Jesus Christ saves.

Jesus is our Lord and Savior. His blood has cleansed us from sin and makes us whole again. He is the Lord of the Sabbath- our resting place in this life and the life to come- and makes our way to God complete. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

We have a world out there that desperately needs to hear this message. The Israelites were to be that missionary nation to the world and failed. We who are followers of Jesus Christ are that nation now. 1 Peter 2:9-10-

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Another Woman of Real Worth

2010-05-17T09:23:00.003-04:00

Sunday May 16, 2010

Acts 16:16-24

One of the great desperation moves of our Lord is that he reaches to the untouchables of society. I think of so many that followed Jesus and they were the ones who were at the outer edges of culture; they were the ones that others overlooked. Furthering this thought, Jesus was not afraid to encounter those who were very unlike him in order to impact their lives. All you have to do is look at a few of his closest disciples and you get a picture of a Messiah who was very unlike anything others were looking for then in a Messiah and certainly very different from anything others would be looking for today.

Last week we studied the account by Luke in Acts 16 of Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke himself going to the riverside to the place of prayer where they met a group of women of which Lydia, a Gentile business woman, was saved by faith in Jesus Christ and was baptized- as was her whole household.

Lydia, we learned, was a woman of means. She was smart, had business savvy and a woman of some wealth. When she gets saved she then turns her home into a church planting base from which Paul and his comrades can further their ministerial pursuits in Philippi.

Speaking of Philippi, we learned that it was a Roman colony that was free from the tax burdens that the Roman government placed on other cities and people groups. Philippi was founded by Alexander the Great's father, Philip II, who made it a strategic city on the main road through Greece.

These missionaries were in Philippi because the Holy Spirit stopped them from going on into Asia and instead gave Paul a dream of which the others agreed was vision for their ministry: a man weeping and begging for these men to come to Macedonia and rescue them.

In our scripture text we find that they are once again on their way to the place of prayer where they were last week. As they go a slave girl- "damsel" in one interpretation I found- who gave prophetic utterances, was announcing their comings and goings by saying: "These men are servants of the Most high God, who are telling you the way to be saved." After a few days of this Paul had had his fill! He turns to the girl and commands in the name of Jesus Christ that the demon come out of her. And it did- which created no small commotion for the owners of this slave. After all, without this "pythonic spirit" how in the world can she make money for them now? So they had Paul and Silas arrested, dragged before open court, they are beaten and sent to prison and their feet put into stocks.

This morning I want to address a matter that I believe goes beyond the Fortune 500 value of a person and get to the heart of your value and who you are in Christ. I believe that who you are in Jesus Christ gives you far more intrinsic value than anything else in all the world.

First of all, notice this slave girl's problem:

Slavery in Sin.

What is a great tragedy for humanity is the issue of his or her proneness to commit certain acts of sin but humanity's problem of ingrained sin. If our sins were merely the results of bad judgment then we could be more understanding. However, sins problem is not bad judgment (other than Adam's bad judgment) but a problem of sin at the core of who we are humanly.

And so the Apostle Paul writing in Romans pictures sin as being a slave to unrighteousness. I can't help but get a picture of this slave girl who is being obedient to her slave owners because she has no other choice- except to die otherwise. And even then, in her world this is her lot that she has to live with.

Let me share a few reminders for a lot of you about this slavery to sin problem:

a) Sin oppresses the human person.

A man or woman cannot become all that God calls them to be through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit if they are not free. This slave girl represents to us a person who is not her own in more ways than one. When a person is enslaved to what Paul tells the Galatian church are the sins of the flesh, they might think they are okay but in reality they are lost in their sinfulness. They are serving self and the interests of things other than God.

b) Sin diminishes God's image in humanity.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden their sin ushered in an altered state to the world. All of life became mutated and we now have an "abnormal universe," as Francis Schaeffer would put it. (Genesis p.p. 94-95) What is tragic is that as sin separated humanity from God this diminished the human person. However, through Jesus Christ the very image of God is stamped on the human heart.

I am convinced that a great deal of the problems that people deal with in life are the not the result of circumstances beyond their control, or even the result of circumstances within their control but the issue of self-esteem that is damaged by the sinfulness that has settled on all of humanity. Without Christ in a person's life there is very little likeness to the God of whose image we were created.

Don't ever forget that you are created in the image of God and after his likeness. Don't forget that you have a basic and inherited value as a person. What God wants to do with your life is raise you up above sin and self and transform your life and restore his image. He has predestined you "to be conformed to the likeness of His Son [Jesus Christ]." (Romans 8:29)

c) Sin leads to spiritual death.

Just as Adam and Eve ushered in death into the world, so to when you sin- when you allow yourself to be enslaved to that which is against God's commands and his will for your life- the eventual result will be spiritual death.

This sin needs to be rectified. This sin needs to be dealt with. That is why Jesus Christ died on the cross so that you and I might be set free from sin. "He who the Son has freed is free indeed!" Jesus says in John 8:36.

But let's clear the air about something else:

d) Not all sin is demon possession.

Yes, sin is wrong and not from God. Yes, sin diminishes the human person which Satan strives to do. However, just because a person is a slave to sin does not mean that they are demon possessed.

In this Acts 16 text, the narrative speaks of a slave girl who is a slave to others but even more than that, she is possessed of an evil spirit. I want to be clear that not all sin is the result of demon possession.

A Pythonic Spirit.

This slave girl is possessed with what many scholars refer to as a "pythonic spirit."

Allow me to interject a quick appendix about the issue of this spirit of divination. The NIV calls it a "spirit by which she predicted the future." The translators were close but not quite close enough. NLT- fortune teller. NKJV- fortune-telling. NASB- spirit of divination.

What did she have going on? She had is called a pythonic spirit.

She would relay an Oracle to the people who paid good money to her (or rather her slave owners). This message was supposedly from the gods.
She had a spiritual gift. Not a Holy Spirit gift but a demonic gift that was recognized by those who owned her and those who paid to hear what she had to say.
The pythonic spirit originated in a place called Delphi- not far from Philippi. In Greek mythology, the Greek god "Apollo" killed a large female serpent (a python).
The python possessed certain prophets & prophetesses of which this slave girl was one.
These messages or "Oracle at Delphi"- was when the python offers advice, counsel and direction to visitors, generals and government officials.

This Holy Bible forbids in no uncertain terms the messing around with these kinds of spirits. There is to be no room for the Christian to reading their horoscope, or consulting an 8 ball or playing around with a Ouiji board or visiting a fortune teller. The spirit realm is a very real domain and a very dangerous place to dabble in.

"But Pastor, my horoscope was right in the advice it gave me." Big deal! So was this slave-girl.

"But Pastor, I heard of a psychic who located a lost child or a murdered victim in the woods or helped police discover the real killer." So? This slave girl possessed powers that were not her own and she was even saying things that were true and accurate. But the source was wrong.

We cannot afford to allow certain things into our lives as Christians. We must be very keen about what is out there and what we touch on. I realize that there is a fascination with the supernatural and paranormal. But we must be very careful about what we allow ourselves to be exposed to.

I'll speak for myself and let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart as He sees fit. I avoid television programs that glorify the occult in any way. That's not to say I- as a pastor and in the role of study- might never view or read something for the sake of the gospel message. I'm not watching "Medium" or "Ghost Whisperer" for my entertainment. (I don't watch these shows to start with.)

Something we see about those who don't know Christ is the matter of…

2) Confusion in Living.

In Stuart, Florida where we used to work in was a five way corner similar to ours right across the street from us here in Shelby. When you arrived to the corner there seemed to be a panic that overcame you as a driver. It was aptly called "Confusion Corner" by everyone. We referred to it as a landmark when telling someone how to get to the other side of Stuart.

This slave girl was living a very confused life like so many without Jesus Christ. People who are looking to make in life find themselves mistaken and their mistake cost them their soul.

Notice a few observations about this confusion in living:

a) One may do the right thing but still be living the wrong way.

This slave girl was saying the right things but she was living the wrong way.

b) One may be living the wrong way and be unaware of their sin.

She was living the wrong way and completely blind to her sin.

c) One may be unaware of their sin but they are still responsible.

God will hold us all accountable for our works and what we did with Jesus Christ. No one will be able to plead innocent and claim like Bertrand Russell that God did not give them enough evidence of his existence.

Ultimately for anyone to be truly saved from their sin they to need to experience…

3. Deliverance by Christ.

I like what the old Bible Commentator, Matthew Henry had to say about our text this morning:

Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. But much mischief is done to the real servants of Christ, by unholy and false preachers of the gospel, who are confounded with them by careless observers. Those who do good by drawing men from sin, may expect to be reviled as troublers of the city. While they teach men to fear God, to believe in Christ, to forsake sin, and to live godly lives, they will be accused of teaching bad customs. (Matthew Henry)

We don't know for sure why, but Paul allows this demon possessed girl to continue announcing there presence for several days. I believe that Paul the others were discerning the spirit from which this was coming. They didn't have a "how-to" book on casting out demons or testing the spirits other than prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Which should speak volumes to us about how we deal with others who may be doing similar. At a certain point, though, Paul has had enough, he has discerned from the Holy Spirit that this is wrong and what to do about it.

a) The power of the name of Christ.

In the name of Jesus Christ this demon is cast out of her. In that moment Paul knew what had to be done. Maybe he awoke that morning with the answer to the problem. Maybe in that very moment the answer was revealed to him. However the answer to the slave girl's problem came by the Holy Spirit, the answer was the correct one. The demon was cast out of her.

b) The purpose of the disciple of Christ.

This points us to the purpose of every disciple of Christ. Our role may not be to specifically cast a demon out- even though may remain possible. Our role is to be obedient in bringing the message that Jesus saves and sets free the sinner.

This missionary team of Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke were bent on bringing the gospel message to those they encountered regardless of the personal cost to them. The result of Paul casting the demon out of this demon possessed slave girl was arrest, a kangaroo trial, beating and then imprisonment.

Are we willing to do what it takes regardless of the personal cost to us to bring the gospel message to a lost and dying world? Are you willing to dip into your savings account by faith and give so that others might be saved? I'm not saying that money buys souls but what I am saying is that it is very important that we understand the value and cost of operating a church ministry, church plants such as Manantial de Vida and other missionary ministries. So often we want the comforts of our personal lives without realizing the obligations that those who minister in your place go through. Those who have given up their personal goals and careers and dreams to be in full-time Christian service.

But even greater than this, what about your personal witness in the work place? Within your family? Your friends? Others at school? Standing in line at Cherry Hill or Wesco? These people we encounter have never dying souls that need Christ.

c)The peace of Christ to the new believer.

There is an inner peace that comes to the new believer in Christ that is far different than anything they could ever experience. It is amazing to me that when someone comes to Christ in a very real way they all seem to have that relief in knowing that their sins are forgiven. It is the same when the follower of Christ sins and comes to him for forgiveness once again. There is something special and holy about this peace.

d) The possibility of a new life through faith in Jesus Christ.

What is distressing to me as I have studied this passage of scripture is that there seems to be no further move on this slave girl's part for salvation. The demon has been exorcised from her but what happens to her remains a mystery. History tells us that this pythonic religion declined from this point and actually ceased within the next thirty years.

But let's not miss the truth of the matter: she had an opportunity of a lifetime. And whether we realize it or not, we all get that same opportunity when Christ knocks on our heart's door.

Conclusion: Freedom is no respecter of persons.

There are three essential truths that I want you to take with you to consider for your life:

There is freedom from slavery to sin. No matter what you are struggling with- pornography, swearing, anger, bitterness or anything else, Jesus Christ shed his blood on the cross so that you might know the forgiveness of your sins and the freedom that Christ can bring to your life.
There is freedom to live without confusion. You no longer need to live wondering what to do next in your life or what your life is all about. Jesus Christ gives purpose to every person who comes to him by faith. No matter how limited you feel your pool of talents might be, Jesus offers to you a life that is truly set free to live to your fullest potential in him.
There is freedom that supersedes all other "freedoms." The world is constantly marching and striving for "civil rights." I'm not against the idea of people having rights and being allowed to live their life. However, so what if you have all the freedoms and rights as a human being the world allows? These things do not compare with the glory that will be revealed in you through Jesus Christ.

So what must you do at this point? Understand the role of Christ in your life. He quotes Isaiah in stating his purpose for you and me:

"He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." Isaiah 61:1

"Call to me and I will answer you…" Jeremiah 33:3

Call to Jesus and He will answer you. Freedom comes when we truly take the first step by faith and opening the door and letting Jesus come into our life. And once we allow Jesus into our life we must then allow him by faith to lead in every area of our life. And once we allow him to be Lord of every area of our life we begin to really know what it is to live by faith. Faith- to trust in him for our very self-esteem and trust in him with our very lives.

A WOMAN OF REAL WORTH

2010-05-11T12:20:00.003-04:00

Sunday May 9, 2010

Acts 16:9-15

Ole died. So Lena went to the local paper to put a notice in the obituaries. The gentleman at the counter, after offering his condolences, asked Lena what she would like to say about Ole. Lena replied, "You yust put 'Ole died."

The gentleman, somewhat perplexed, said, "That's it? Just 'Ole died'? Surely, there must be something more you'd like to say about Ole. If it's money you're concerned about, the first five words are free. We must say something more."

So Lena pondered for a few minutes and finally said, "OK. You put 'Ole died. Boat for sale.'"

Happy Mother's Day to all of our ladies today. I am so grateful for all the moms of my life.

My interest in this message is about more than keeping up with the lectionary selections but to bring to mind the importance and value of every woman that is here today. You are valuable and you are important. Not for the things you do but for who you are in Christ Jesus. In a little while I'm going to speak about a woman named Lydia that we have read about in our text.

But let's lay out the historical background to this monumental event that is going to take place in Lydia's life.

The Apostle Paul has set out on his Second Missionary Journey beginning in late autumn of 49 AD from Jerusalem and then returning back to Jerusalem in 52 AD. (Acts 15:40-18:23) With him are Silas, the young preacher Timothy and then Luke- who caught up with them at Troas.

As we have read, these missionaries believed that the Holy Spirit was keeping them from moving eastward into Asia with the gospel message so they moved westward. Even then, they stopped in Troas to wait for a clearer indication of what they were to do next. It is then that Paul has a dream, they decide that this is a word from the Lord and then they move on towards the city of Philippi.

What is amazing to me is how God works. And so my first point of interest for us to consider is this:

The Holy Spirit Positions God's People for Witnessing.

What is fascinating from Luke's narrative is how God has planned his work and then works his plan.

His plan has been to reach all of humanity. He was not interested in simply reaching the rich, famous and powerful. He was not interested in simply reaching the tired, the helpless and the poor. His plan was not to reach the men and not the women. Or reach the women and not the men. His plan was not to reach only a certain people group to the exclusion of another group.

What we witness throughout Acts is how the Holy Spirit not only empowers believers but opens the eyes of those who are blind to the truth about Jesus Christ. But what seems even more incredible is how the Holy Spirit guides this fledgling Church ministry.

Notice how Paul and his companions are stopped by the Holy Spirit from moving east towards modern day Iraq, Iran, India and China. Instead, they are compelled to move west but even then they stop in the town of Troas and wait.

Sometimes waiting is the most difficult part of ministry. I can tell you that the Apostle Paul was not the kind of guy to let grass grow under his tires. He was a man who had to be on the move and doing something for the ministry of Christ. There was no time to wait. However, they do wait. And Paul has a vision.

Oftentimes a vision for ministry is to be confirmed by those involved. Paul was not a one-man show. He certainly could have been but he was a team player. I am struck that as Paul shared the vision (or dream if you will) of a man from Greece weeping for them to come over to them that he did so not to control the movement of this missionary team but to clarify the Lord's will. This is important for any ministry seeking to move forward. Yes, God speaks through lead shepherds but more times than not the vision needs to be confirmed through his people who compose the Church.

Always the goal of ministry is kept in focus. The response wasn't simply, "Well let's go over to Macedonia and see what's up." Instead, they conclude that God had called them to preach the gospel to the people they would encounter. It's easy enough to make plans as a church but it's tougher to keep the real goal in focus. At the end of the day or week or month or year we must ask ourselves: Are we preaching the gospel to the people we are called to reach?

Which brings us as a church and you as an individual to this question: Are you doing just that?

Do we believe that the Holy Spirit has positioned this Church and each one of us into a place to witness about our Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that he offers to those who trust in him by faith?

I am convinced that in the grand scheme of God's plan, he consistently positions his people to be witnesses of Christ in the places that they find themselves. However, to simply be in the right geographical location isn't enough to be effective. Ask any missionary and any pastor and everyone of them will tell you that to be in the right mission field or right church does not guarantee ministry success. Something else must be at work for witnessing to be effective.

Which speaks to our second point of interest:

2. Witnessing Finds One's self in Prayer.

This missionary team crosses the Aegean Sea and lands into modern day Greece. They then travel an additional ten miles by foot to the small city of Philippi.

Philippi was one of those special cities. They enjoyed a tax free status because they were labeled as a Roman colony. The Roman Empire from time to time would label certain cities as colonies and then plant retired soldiers from their armies there. The people would enjoy a status in the empire that most other foreign cities could hardly dare dream about. Philippi was not only a colony but they were also the capital of the one of the four provinces in Macedonia.

Philippi was founded in the 4^th Century BC by Philip of Macedonia who happened to be Alexander the Great's father. The objective of founding the town was to take control of the neighboring gold mines and to establish a garrison at a strategic passage because Philippi was also on a main roadway. The city enjoyed special privileges for several centuries. It had an acropolis- which was a monument built on the highest hill-, Roman bath houses (an especially real treat since most people of those days bathed hardly once a year), a theatre and the entrance to the city had a special colonial archway that was supposed to stop foreign deities from entering.

Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke entered its gates anyway. One of the distinctive of their missionary work was to go to the Jews first with their message. So they looked for a Jewish synagogue but there was none. For a community of Jews to qualify to have a synagogue meant that there needed to be more than ten Jewish men (not women). There weren't ten and so there was no synagogue. What there was, though, in place of a synagogue was a place of prayer outside of the city by the river.

And so on the next Sabbath these missionaries made their way to the place of prayer. They knew if they went there something good would happen.

Remember:

Philippi was a Roman Colony with Special Status.
Paul & companions stayed in the city for several days- taking in the Grecian sights.
On the Sabbath they went to the place of prayer.

What is interesting about prayer in the hands of God's people is that it awakens the soul to the reality of God's power in our lives. Every generation over the centuries has always challenged God's people to prayer. It seems that we always look back and believe that the previous generation could pray better than our generation. I don't like comparisons. Let's not focus on those glory days of prayer and create our own glory days of prayer.

These Acts missionaries who have set foot in Europe knew that a good witness for Jesus Christ will always find one's self in prayer. And so they go to the place of prayer. And when they do they teach us a valuable lesson:

3. Prayer Anticipates God's Working.

Yes, it's not good enough to just pray. We have to pray with anticipation.

I get frustrated in ministry because I feel like too often we as a church don't approach everything with a positive anticipation.

Let me ask you this: When you pray do expect something good to happen? When you came to church this morning did you expecting something good to happen? When you go to the place of prayer do you anticipate God to work in those prayer requests? Do you anticipate your lost son or daughter to get saved? Are you even praying that they get saved?

Sometimes we expect ministry to take place from the high pulpit. "The most effective preaching has not been done from high pulpits or to great audiences. The Christian message is a witness, and to be effective it must ever be on the personal level." (Schmul Commentary on Acts p. 234)

Prayer anticipates God's working. And these missionaries came to the place of prayer alongside the river and encountered a group of women.

What? No Jewish men to lead the way? Women? We're supposed to witness to women?

"Yes, guys. Those women right there are going to be your first converts in Europe."

It doesn't sound like much of a grand master plan to me. Women in the context of the first century world were not worth much more than slaves. Of course, women of Rome had a tiny bit higher status but not by much. And here God's men are called upon to share the gospel with women along a river in the open air.

But God had already been at work. He was working long before Paul and his band of brothers got there. God was working in the heart of a widow woman named Lydia. Lydia was a business owner who was a dealer in purple cloth from the town of Thyatira. She owned a home with a family and slaves. Her status in the community of Jews was one of influence. However, Lydia was not born Jewish nor did she become what was called a "proselyte" Jew. Instead, the scriptures say that she was "a worshipper of God."

And when she heard the message of salvation through Jesus Christ something good happened. If prayer anticipates God's working then expect God's working to do something. And his working did.

4. God's Working Opened a Woman's Heart.

The Lord opened Lydia's heart. John Wesley says that the eyes of the heart are naturally closed and to open them is the peculiar work of God. This woman gets saved because she sees the truth of Jesus Christ.

Lydia was a very wealthy woman. She was obviously a woman of influence and most likely was the leader of these other Jewish women. Where the Jewish men were, who knows, but God chose this willing heart of Lydia to be the human door of entrance for the gospel message to move into all of Europe.

Despite all they Lydia had, all that she accomplished and all of her influence she would not truly experience what self-worth is until her heart was opened to Jesus Christ.

I find it fascinating that God opens the eyes and ears of the unbeliever to the gospel message. And when he does that person then faces the decision to open the door of their heart to the one who is knocking.

Lydia's life is changed. But more is about to happen. Why?

5. A Woman's Heart Changes Her Household.

Not only is Lydia's life transformed but she is baptized. Baptism is significant. Baptism indicates a change of not only the heart but a change of one's life.

Her life was changed. She was no longer a worshipper of God who reverenced God but was now someone who was in a relationship with God. This is significant.

Lydia was a woman of wealth. Purple cloth was the kind of item that the royalty and rich wore in their garments. To be a trader in this item meant that you made money.
Lydia was a woman of motivation. Most scholars agree that she was a widow. Somehow through her own gumption she braved a man's world and ran her own business. This takes motivation.
Lydia was a woman of inspiration. She seems to already possess a desire to worship and serve God. Many believe that she was the leader of the women's prayer group that met every Sabbath outside of the city. If the men weren't going to do it then the women would. And they did.
Lydia was a woman of reason. When confronted with the truth she did not argue but realized that it made sense. And so she became a new convert to Christianity.

A lot of religions out there can speak of worship and prayer in some of the same ways that we do. However, they cannot speak of a relationship with God. Islam may seem like a very methodical religion that believes God may love but does not see God as a God of love.

God's love changes a person's heart. And Lydia gives to all women here today the inspiration that your changed heart through Jesus Christ may bring change to your whole family.

We see in a matter of a few words of scripture that not only was she baptized but so was her whole household. This included any children she had, her servants and slaves and perhaps even small children. She was testifying that not only would her life be different but her household would be different.

Conclusion: Becoming a Woman of Worth.

So what do we say now to the women of this congregation?

God wants to do more for your life than you could even imagine. I realize that in a group like ours there are frustrations with unsaved loved ones- including children and grandchildren. But I want to tell you to continue to put them into God's hands.

Your worth as a woman is not what the world says about you but what God says about you. Let him be the influence of your life. Let him be the one who gives you the strength to be the woman of God you are called to be.

How can you become a woman of real of worth?

First, allow God to love you. So often we have found women who have struggled in life because they simply have not let God love them. Let our Lord reach down into your heart with his love.

Second, believe that God loves you so much that he gave his Son Jesus Christ for your sins. Without this, all of us would be lost in our sins and suffer the eternal consequences for our sins. Here is an opportunity for you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

Third, let the Holy Spirit flow in and through your life. Just as the Holy Spirit guided the footsteps of these missionaries to bring the gospel message to Lydia, so too the Holy Spirit desires to lead your life so that you may truly flourish as a woman. A woman of real worth.

Are You His Listener?

2010-05-11T12:18:00.004-04:00

Sunday April 25, 2010

John 10:22-30

²²Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. ²⁴The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ tell us plainly."

²⁵Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, ²⁶but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. ²⁷My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. ³⁰I and the Father are one."

What does it mean to hear the voice of God? That is the question for us to consider this morning. Way too often we hear what we want to hear. And far too often Christians especially find themselves in quandaries because they didn't truly hear what our Lord- our Good Shepherd- was telling them. But even more tragically, there are those who hear the gospel message that Jesus saves from all sin and yet unfortunately never take God at his word. They deliberately choose to trounce the Son of God and his sacrifice underfoot and fail to ever know him personally and truly.

The setting for this account by the Apostle John has some pretty fascinating history that is worth our investigation as we start this sermon.

Jesus has encountered the Jewish leaders on what is called Solomon's porch that is located on the east side of the temple during what is called the Feast of Dedication- or in our modern times "Hanakkuh." What is the history here?

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Some 200 years or less before this occasion, Jerusalem and Israel was subject to Syrian and Greek overlords and had such kings as Antiochus Epiphanes who came to power in 175 BC. He was especially ruthless. He decided that being king over the Israelites wasn't enough so he invaded Egypt. When he was in Egypt it was rumored that he had died and so the Jews were essentially dancing in the streets celebrating his death. Well, he really didn't die and he was furious that these Jews would treat him disrespectfully. So in 168 BC he raised up an army that invaded the city, killed some 40,000 Israelites. He wasn't done punishing them, though. He went into the holy temple of God and sacrificed a pig on the altar. And then to make sure they understood his hatred, he had the dead pig basically made into gravy and poured throughout the temple- desecrating it as much as possible. He went on to destroy the Law which was primarily composed of the first five books (the Pentateuch) and severely punished those who opposed him.

But God's people would not back down. A man named Mattathias with five sons rose up against the invaders. He called on his fellow Israelites to follow his example and escape to the mountains. Upon his death he encouraged his sons to carry on the fight. And so, to make a long story short, his son Judas Maccabeus led a revolt that restored Jerusalem and the temple back into their hands.

Son of Mattathias. Judas was the middle son of five sons.
Warrior from his youth. Possessed not only the skill to fight but to lead.
Leader of the army. Led a revolt against the invaders. He organized the other soldiers and appointed officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
Defeated the enemy though out-numbered. Prior to battle they spent time in prayer and fasting at Mizpah which is called the place of prayer outside of Jerusalem.
The enemy number some 40,000 to their 10,000. They were vastly out-number and didn't possess the weaponry that the enemies had. However, they defeated and plundered the enemy and their encampments.

Temple restored. The people then commenced to repairing the temple where all sorts of illicit sin and worship took place. The priests tore down the desecrated altar on which pigs were sacrificed and all sorts of other things took place and rebuilt it with fresh uncut stones. They then remade new vessels for worship. They gave praise to God for deliverance and set this time as a yearly celebration. However,

This is the beginning of what is called Hanukkah- the festival of lights. With the bronze candle gone they used a wooden candle instead. But they did not have any oil for the candle that was not contaminated except for one vial. This would last for only one day. They went ahead and lit the candle and it burned miraculously for eight days until new oil could be produced. Traditionally, on December 18^th one candle is lit for each person in the household and is to burn for the next 8 days- until December 26^th. Some even light an additional candle for each person each day. If you have five people in your home then by the end of Hanukkah there will be forty candles burning.

Jesus is not only approached by the Jewish authorities during the Festival of Lights, but he is approached by them on Solomon's porch. This is interesting because this was literally built during Solomon's day and was maintained when the temple was rebuilt by King Herod. It was a constant place of dedication. What is also interesting is that Peter preaches from this same place later in Acts 3 after he and John heal the crippled man who was sitting at the Beautiful Gate that led into the temple.

John mentions that it was winter- not because we needed to know that (any reader of his timeframe would already know that) but because the weather was most likely rainy or stormy and so Jesus and his followers were under the protection of Solomon's Portico.

All of this background hopefully helps us realize the significance of Jesus being challenged by the Jewish leaders. For them, they were setting what they believed to be a perfect trap. For Jesus, this was another opportunity to prove them as unbelievers and to affirm those who follow him in their faith.

And during this Feast of Dedication that is celebrated with candle-lights, Jesus is proclaimed as the Light that has come into the world.

What do we see happening? First,

The Inconvenient Truth about Christ for the Jewish Leaders.

These opposers of Jesus come with what seems to be an innocent question. However, their question was far from innocent. "How long will you keep us in suspense?" In other words, they were literally asking: "How long will you kill us with suspense?" What were they doing?

a) They were trying to trap him.

If Jesus spoke immediately and declared himself as king of the Jews, these leaders would have immediately went to the Roman governor and tattled on him.

Jesus gives us an example of prudence. He handles the opposition with cautiousness and good sense. We need to do the same when dealing with unbelievers- especially those who hate us and want to spitefully use us. "Be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves" Jesus says elsewhere to his disciples. (Matthew 10:16)

He understood that in their goal to trap him they had a greater goal:

b) Their goal was to eliminate him.

They were constantly jealous of Jesus and sought to destroy him. However, being good politicians, they knew he had the backing of the people so they had to do things in the smoke-filled back rooms, so to speak.

c) He saw through their motives.

He knew their intentions and knew how far to push their buttons. They wanted him to declare that he was the king of the Jews. Instead, he declares that he and the Father are One. This blew their stack immediately. And even though he out-foxed them with their own words and was able to keep them off stride by the scriptures, verse 31 says that they picked up stones to stone him. He challenges them to simply look at his miracles but that isn't why they want to stone him. He called himself "god." Even though he gives them a Biblical lesson the use of "god" from the Psalms (82:6) they realize that his use of "the Father is in me and I am in the Father" is equaling himself with God.

What the leaders failed to see and so many fail to see today is that Jesus is "the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him." (John 14:3) And furthering their problem was that they refused to truly listen with spiritual ears. They lacked the necessary ears to hear.

The Prophet Isaiah experienced the presence and voice of God speaking to him. The experience was so profound that he thought that he would die because he was in the presence of God. God accused his own people then: "Be ever hearing but never understanding; be ever seeing but never perceiving."

Hearing and seeing God requires spiritual ears and eyes. Through these a person's heart hears and sees. Until a person gets these, they won't get this salvation message that Christ has.

And how important is this to us as a Church? To each one of the seven Churches in Revelation Jesus says, "He who has ears let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."

Those who have Christ in their lives have seen and have heard and have a new way of living and thinking. We think differently because we hear differently. We hear the voice of our Good Shepherd. For the world out there and for these Jewish leaders in Jesus' time, they do not hear and so their behavior cannot be expected to be any different.

This is why we pray for those in our friendship circles who do not know Christ- that they would have ears to hear and a heart to repent.

And so Jesus lets these leaders know that those who have heard and believe are different than they are. These Jewish leaders in this time frame have rejected Jesus as Lord and have rejected his message and his miracles. This is why they are continually at odds with Jesus. They not only have rejected him but they hate him and want to destroy him.

Nevertheless, Jesus has followers. And his relationship with them is different- different from anything anyone has heard before or since.

2. The Constant Relationship of Christ with His Sheep.

Anytime we approach scriptures as students of the Bible, we must be aware of one very simple rule: context. You will find your understanding of Scripture so much more meaningful when you adhere to this rule: keep things in context.

Of course, not everything written in the Bible is context oriented. The Proverbs are largely written as truths and advice that cross cultural boundaries everywhere.

To understand what Jesus is saying in this situation means to keep everything in context. We must put ourselves into John's context first rather than put John into our context. The context has to do with two important points: 1) what it means to be a sheep with Jesus as our Shepherd; and 2) the Jewish leaders opposition to Jesus. Once we put things into the context that it is about we realize that this is not about a struggling Christian hoping that he or she is still saved.

Jesus sets up some criteria here for us as his followers that are very important for us to understand.

a) My sheep listen… to my voice.

Too often too many Christians are getting pulled in all sorts of directions. If we are not careful we can be like a stray dog at a whistler's conference. We hear whistles but don't know which way to go.

If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ then you will have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. A true follower of the Good Shepherds has his or her ears tuned in to what their Shepherd's voice sounds like. This is why it is critical- absolutely critical- for the believer in Christ to be into the Scriptures. Not only reading the Word but studying the Word. This is why we all need to be in a Bible preaching and believing Church and everyone needs to be participating in a small group study. This why every Christian needs to guard their heart against the influences of the world. This way we can learn to know what our Shepherd's voice sounds like.

Jesus goes on to say:

b) I know them… they follow me.

Jesus knows exactly who you are. He knows your shortcomings and your failings. He knows your potential and what it takes to live a true life of purpose in him. He knows you personally.

What is amazing, as I look back on my life, is that if Jesus knows me so well, why has he stuck with me? I'm not sure, but I count it a privilege to be counted as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Who do you follow? Who do you follow more? So many of us get so strung out with the "busy-ness" of life. We are all busy. But the question to ask: what are you busy with? Are you busy with living your life for Christ first in everything? Let's not live our lives just sprinkling a little bit of God in everything. Let's hear the voice of our Good Shepherd and follow after him by being "living sacrifices that are holy and acceptable to God." (Romans 12:1)

If Jesus truly knows who you are because of your faith in Him for salvation, then most certainly you will be following him. A sheep knows its Shepherd's voice; he has too. And when he hears his Shepherd's voice he follows his shepherd. If a sheep does not know his Shepherd's voice then he will not hear when the Shepherd is calling him to greener pastures; he will not hear when the Shepherd is calling him away from danger; he will not hear when the Shepherd is calling him to do His will.

The voice is known because the Shepherd knows his sheep personally. And our Savior, who gives us new life, knows us personally and intimately. Now it's up to us to get to know him personally and intimately through the Bible and through prayer and through obedience.

Jesus also gives a promise:

c) I give them eternal life… they shall never perish.

I would certainly agree with Warren Wiersbe's comment about this point. He writes: "We have eternal life, not just life for 'as long as we don't sin.'" I don't know any credible Wesleyan-Arminian preachers or teachers who advocate this kind of theology. I certainly don't. I refuse to live my life with one foot in hell and the other on a banana peel.

There are consequences for sin- always. And ultimately a person who continually chooses the life of sin and yet claims to be a Christian is only fooling themselves. Salvation is conditional upon our repentance. This relationship is conditional upon our following the Good Shepherd. If you claim to be a Christian and are not following in the footsteps of Christ then you are not a Christian and you do not have eternal life.

Eternal life comes from Jesus and we will have it forever. But what did Jesus say prior to this? My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. Because we listen to his voice and because we follow him do we have this eternal life in which we will never perish. Even in the face of the fiercest persecution and worst possible death, we can know that we are going to heaven. We can know that we are safe in the Father's hand.

And all of this, not by works- that any man should brag- but by the grace of God. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Jesus then says:

d) No one can snatch them… out of my hand.

And even though the enemy may strive against us we can know that our place with God is secure. As the Apostle Paul writes: "If God be for us who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) As long as we are in the Good Shepherd's care nothing- absolutely nothing- can harm us. We are safe for eternity. The enemy- the devil- who goes to and fro seeking whom he may devour cannot bring harm to us. (1 Peter 5:8) As we listen to the voice of our Savior, the Good Shepherd; as we follow in his steps and living out his example; as we live our holy lives by faith no one can snatch us out of God's hands. Not the most powerful governments, armies or Satan himself.

We are safe for all of eternity.

Conclusion: What does that mean for you?

Are you LISTENING to your Good Shepherd?

Are you FOLLOWING your Good Shepherd?

Do you enjoy the ASSURRANCE of your salvation with your Good Shepherd?

SURPRISED BY HOPE

2010-04-05T10:42:00.002-04:00

Mark 16:1-8

Easter Sunday April 4, 2010

Let beauty awake in the morn from beautiful dreams.

Beauty awake from rest!

Let beauty awake

For Beauty's sake

In the hour when the birds awake in the brake

And the stars are bright in the west.

(Robert Louis Stevenson)

As I stood outside with the dogs prior at 6 am I wondered if that first resurrection morning was like this. A small cool breeze, freshness with each breath, birds chirping in nearby trees, the stars glistening in the sky… the neighbor dog barking. I wonder if they sensed those same things. As Sandy Patti sung, "Was it a Morning Like This?"

But yet, I know that their hearts were already pounding with sorrow. They likely did not sleep well and if they did it was out of heart-ache exhaustion.

I wonder about Pilate who had sentenced Jesus to death. I wonder when he awoke that morning if it was just going to be another day at the office. Another day of a Roman general overseeing a seething nation of people who hated him. I wonder if he knew what was coming?

I wonder about those chief priests and elders who had rejected Christ almost from the very beginning of his ministry. I wonder if they awoke on that third day wondering themselves if everything would be "kosher." I wonder if they awoke with some fear that Jesus might truly do what he said. Perhaps they were the only ones who really thought this could happen?

I wonder about those disciples who followed him more closely. I wonder what they figured would be their next steps as fugitives. Certainly with all of the Passover and Sabbath days completed if they would be hunted down by the authorities and one by one arrested and imprisoned and face the same fate as the one they followed.

What no one saw was that beauty had awoken. In fact, the stone was not rolled away to let Jesus out. The stone was rolled away so that those coming to the tomb to could look in. Look in and see.

What did the angel say? "Don't be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! See the place where they laid him."

Everyone who came to the tomb would have seen the grave garments still lying there including the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head which was folded and separate from the linen according to John (20:6-7) There would have been no question about Jesus not being there.

Matthew tells us that an angel of the Lord came down after a violent earthquake and rolled the stone back and sat on it. These Roman soldiers- these trained killers- were so afraid of what they saw that instead of enforcing the seal on tomb, they fainted.

And what was our reaction when we awoke this morning? Was there fear? Maybe not the kind of fear that these disciples and women faced. But I will bet that some of you have fears:

Fear of not measuring up to God or others.
Fear of not having enough money.
Fear that your kids won't do the right things.
Fear that your health will get worse.
Fear of death? Maybe.

So what do we do with that? I believe that we can learn a few things this morning from Christ's resurrection that might help us as we strive to live Spirit-filled lives as followers of Christ. I like what the Apostle told the Corinthian Church:

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. [Why? Because] We always carry around in our bodies the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." (2 Corinthians 4:10)

Despite all that may be happening in your life you don't need to buckle into fear. You can discover or re-discover that as these followers of Jesus found the tomb empty they were surprised by hope.

And I am praying this morning that as we hear this message that the Holy Spirit would once again surprise you with the hope that we all have in Jesus Christ.

So what were these followers of Jesus afraid of on that resurrection morning? First, they were…

Fearful of Fear.

They were afraid because they lived in a constant culture of fear. The people of the first century could easily be divided into two demographics: those with and those without. Either you had something or you didn't. You either lived on this side of the tracks or that side. You were either in power or without power. And ultimately, if the Roman government decided something against you then you were toast.

They lived in fear of the natural world. Drought and storms could wipe out an agricultural community in one hot summer. People died of hunger all the time in their world.

And so when any one of them encountered the resurrection of Jesus they already possess a pre-disposition to fear. And so their natural reaction to a an empty tomb is fear itself mingled with curiosity and amazement. What the devil is going on here? When is the next shoe going to drop? Great, we'll get blamed for this, now!

Not only fear to fear itself but…

2. Fear of the Supernatural.

I remember my grandmother telling about a young woman who would visit the cemetery across the country road from her home when she was a child. Night after night in the summer time this young mother would go to the gravesite of her baby and weep. Did I mention that the young woman was buried beside her baby as well?

Talk about giving a kid the shivers on a hot summer day. Yikes!

The supernatural to us is fairly non-existent as far as today's society. Yeah, I know people are dabbling with "Twilight" and "New Moon" and all those vampire books and chic-flicks. Harry Potter is still trying to have his day. "Ghost Whisperer" had her following. But nobody really takes any of that very seriously except those who want to immerse themselves further into the cultic and those Christians who understand the risk of dabbling. After all, most of us are a more affluent, educated, scientific and cultured society. We've got answers that the first century people didn't have.

But let's not mistake our lack of discernment and miss the truth of these folks who experienced a very real fear of the supernatural. They just looked into the tomb and found it empty. Something's up and they know it. But what, they don't know.

Sure they were afraid in a human sense because they were touching on the supernatural. They already had an affinity to the idea of ghosts and demons. But understand something:

Stories don't come close to what these folks were involved in. Realize that this resurrection stuff was serious business and that what they understood was they were touching on something that was not of this world- at least not something they had experienced before.

We still can't Appreciate how they did not understand everything Jesus said about destroying this temple and rebuilding it in three days. Hello? Their minds were immersed in a first century thought pattern that truly believed, "Dead men don't talk." And when a dead man simply disappears from a sealed tomb, well, my first instinct as a first century man would be: I'm afraid.

If I go to my mother's grave next month and it's open with an angel sitting on a rock I think I might faint like a dead man.

Something else they were afraid of:

3. Fear of Ruthless Authorities.

They were afraid because of the obvious disobedience to a Roman decree.

In particular—and this is perhaps the most important point to grasp—most first-century Jews believed that the Exile was not yet really over. Yes, they had come back from Babylon, geographically. But the pagans were still in charge: first Persia, then Alexander the Great from Greece, then the various rules of Syria, and now the iron fist of the Roman Empire.

And now the typical first century Jew who encountered a revolutionary such as Jesus had plenty to fear. I guess I don't blame the disciples for running off. Their dream of a new Israel has just been squashed by the Roman army and the Jewish leadership. Not only did their association mean that they were wanted men but that they faced expulsion from Jewish society for their deeds of following this radical named Jesus.

These disciples have good reason to fear the ruthless authorities- especially those of the Roman soldier kind. The Romans were professional killers who were skilled in making sure that people who were supposed to die actually died. They knew their job and did their job very well.

These Roman soldiers very well might have been thinking:

And now this dead Jesus is alive? Are you sure? We saw the blood pour out from his side. We saw him breathe his last. We know he was dead when he was taken and put into the tomb. We know that we sealed that tomb and put a guard around it.

Our first century brothers and sisters in Christ must have certainly sensed not only fear of the Roman authorities but also the fear of the rulers over them. If they weren't put to the death then they would surely be put into prison. And if they somehow survived that, they would never have a place in the synagogue or allowed in the temple to worship. And for a Jew in those days that might be as good as death.

then they had a…

4. Fear of the Unknown.

They were afraid because of what they could not see. They were not yet men and women of true faith.

I realize I've already mentioned fear of the supernatural but this one is different. I'm speaking about that fear of what we don't know. In so doing, realizing that what we don't know can be good or it can be bad.

What they could not see with their own eyes and feel with their hands could not be real. They had to ponder these things. Fear of the unknown is not unusual to anyone of any culture.

We all fear things that we don't understand or have no light on. I can honestly say I don't like being in total darkness. That stirs up a fear inside of me. So I'll keep my night-light, thank you!

People fear bumps in the night. People fear the ringing of the telephone in the middle of the night. I get that sometimes: "Hello?" "Yeah, is Melissa there?" "What?" "Isn't this Wesco Gas Station?" "No. Look to the number above the Wesleyan Church and you'll find it." "Oh, thanks, man."

Fear of the unknown is very real to a lot people and it should not be missed that these feared the unknown.

They feared fear itself, they feared the supernatural, they feared the authorities, they feared the unknown but they experienced

5. Fear Overcome by Hope.

The bottom line is that everyone who encountered the resurrection was surprised by hope. And maybe that is the definition of their amazement mingled with fear. They somehow harbored hope beyond their fear.

None of them- not a single one saw what was coming. And when the truth of the Jesus' resurrection began to dawn in their hearts they began to experience a kind of hope that is greater than scratching off a winning lottery ticket. They knew that they were encountering something that put down fear, went beyond the supernatural and circumvented the ruling authorities. What they experienced brought them out of the unknown and put them into the very real.

And that is what I want us to all understand and experience this morning. Jesus' resurrection, a fact of history and a cornerstone of Christian faith should and must move us out of the realm of fear and into the realm of hope.

These followers faced very real fears. And as Jesus showed himself the fears began to fade away. Why? Because they became like you by faith in a resurrected Savior. "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" (Romans 8:15)

I'm not saying that we should be concerned about our everyday welfare and responsibilities. We don't throw duties to the wind. What we do is allow the death of Jesus within us to become the life of Jesus outside of us. We are crucified with Christ and yet somehow by the miracle of the Holy Spirit it is not we that live but Christ that lives within us and through us for others to see.

Regardless of your problems, frustrations and dangers you do not need to live in fear.

Matthew 28:6-
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy and ran to tell the disciples.

John 11:25-
I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live.

BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES

2010-04-05T10:41:00.002-04:00

Mark 11:1-11

Sunday March 28, 2010

Many moons ago, back in the mid-1990's, there was a Jesus movement that took the nation by storm. Maybe you were a part of that or maybe you saw it on the evening news. When it came to Mecosta County our church jumped on board with many other churches, got the necessary permits and set a date for a third Saturday in May of 1996. What was it? The "Jesus Parade."

Yeppir. While others marched for civil rights, gay rights, human rights and all other rights, we marched for Jesus. Our youth and children made signs that the men fashioned with wood and nails into banners. The women packed lunches and water. We loaded up our vans and cars and headed to Big Rapids.

All 300 or so of us began on the southern end of the city just north of the Ferris state campus, hiked through downtown Big Rapids and ended up at the river park. We sang songs along the way, shouted Jesus chants and handed out tracts to any that would take one. We passed the downtown restaurants and coffee shops, the supermarket and Dunkin Donuts (and I didn't even run in!).

Wow, what a day! I was so wore out and hungry I didn't think this thing would ever end. But finally we arrived to our destination and celebrated by breaking open out lunch baskets and feeding ourselves.

Now maybe you heard about that and felt guilty that you didn't go and march somewhere. That's alright, because we really didn't grow the kingdom of God by much. But what we did do is get some much needed exercise and fresh air.

I am reminded of this when I think about the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem the week before he was killed. There was great celebration at our event though I can't say it compared with the real one in Jesus day. But the day that Jesus made his grand entrance into Jerusalem there was fervor among seemingly everyone.

What I see of this great victorious entrance of Jesus Christ into the city of Jerusalem that day was something of an event that points our eyes to a greater understanding of whom Jesus was then and who Jesus is now. Truly Luke heard right: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

Jesus brings a newness to everything in a person's life and this certainly was demonstrated when Jesus entered into Jerusalem. There was excitement in the air not because Jesus was a

Jesus bringing a new kingdom.

The scripture tells us that when Jesus sat upon the young donkey that the others with him spread their coats on the ground in front of him. This was a symbol there homage to his royalty. They began to see Jesus in a new light. Jesus did not come to refit an old kingdom with new ideas. He brought something greater than a revolution. Jesus came to establish something greater than any kingdom of this world.

What kind of kingdom did Jesus come to establish?

a. The Kingdom of God.

Jesus did not ride into Jerusalem on a war-horse representing himself as a man of military means but instead chose a simply donkey that was commonly used. Donkeys are sturdy animals, not much speed but are able to weather the uneven roads and do a variety of agricultural needs.

Something else this represented was Jesus as someone holy. The holy men of that time would ride proudly on a donkey. You actually see this in the movie "The Passion of the Christ."

What Jesus ushered was not just another super power. Our world has been overrun by military and economic super powers at one time or another. Most of them selfishly driven. During Jesus earthly lifetime the world was over powered by the powerful Roman Empire.

For those who suffered under the Roman rule they saw in Jesus a different kind of kingdom. The Kingdom that Jesus came to establish was the Kingdom of God- not separated from this world but yet separate from this world. This was…

b. A Kingdom not of this world.

Jesus taught values of living that was different than those of this world's thinking. Power, money and charisma are the things that people hunger for yet Jesus taught that these values were valueless in his kingdom because here "the first shall be last and the last shall be first." In this world you build your house upon the sand. In the Kingdom of God you build your house upon the rock of confession in Jesus as Lord. This is…

c. A Kingdom that transcends our daily life.

Who we are is now different. Jesus shows us what it means to be truly human, that we can live out the holiness that we were created for and that we are set free from the sinfulness that traps men and women into despair.

This Kingdom of God transcends this world's significance and importance. No longer do we fear death because we have an eternal home in the presence of our Savior and Lord and King, Jesus Christ. No longer do we fear Satan because we are now a child of the King. The enemy can't touch you! No longer are we worrying and fretting because we can approach the King's throne of grace.

We are truly a part of a kingdom that is a living, breathing and unshakeable kingdom of God.

What do we discover in this new kingdom? We discover that…

2. Jesus Brings a New Peace.

Palm branches represented not only national pride but victory. Furthermore, by laying down these branches for our Lord, they represented honor and recognition of their submission to Jesus. This had to simply gall the Jewish leaders as they saw this. Here they saw people actually showing off that they believed Jesus to be at the very least the Savior of Israel.

Luke says that as Jesus was approaching Jerusalem he began to weep and said, "If you had known on this day what would bring you peace- now it is hidden from you." (Luke 19:42) He knew that the crowds were seeing something but his own people- especially the Jewish leadership- were not seeing Jesus for who he was. He was the one who would bring a true peace that they longed to have. But instead they trusted in their own little kingdom instead.

Jesus was not simply bringing in a whole new kingdom but he also brought peace to the hearts of those who chose to follow him.

The Hebrew word for peace has some interesting connotations. Its first and more common understanding is that of peace. When I was in Junior High we used to sing a song at the end of our concert that said, "Shalom my good friend, shalom my good friend." It signifies peace with either God or another person

The other sense of shalom has to do with paying a debt. When a debt is unpaid something is incomplete and unsatisfied. And so to pay a debt is to complete something that was incomplete. When I was lost in my sins I owed a debt for my sins when I came to God for forgiveness. Jesus' death on the cross completed the transaction for my salvation. I could not earn it or work for it because salvation is by grace. So by faith I trusted Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Now the transaction is complete and nothing is left undone. In other words, shalom is now present.

The kind of peace that Jesus brings is central to living:

a. Peace with God- no longer a child of wrath or hell, but a child of God.

This is incredible! By my confession of faith in Jesus Christ, by my salvation from sin through Jesus Christ I am now a part of this kingdom of God.

Now to be a part of a kingdom you have to have peace with the King. This peace with God takes me out of the clutches of hell and put beneath the wings of our heavenly Father.

b. Peace with self- no more guilt, shame or condemnation.

Romans 8:1- "There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." No longer do we live under a guilt complex; Jesus has paid the price for our sins. No longer does God condemn us to hell because we are now a child of his kingdom.

Romans 5:1- "Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

c. Peace with neighbors- learning to love others with the compassion of Christ.

As Christians who now have peace with God we learn that we have a new peace with those around us. We are called to give cold cups of water to those who are thirsty. We are called to clothe the naked and feed the hungry. We are called to a whole new sense of how we are to live our lives.

Hebrews 12:14- "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."

This verse links holiness with peacefulness with others. Do you want to serve your King with all of your heart? Then you will love others just as Jesus first loved you.

Besides a new kingdom and a new peace, Jesus does something else.

3. Jesus brings new life.

The crowds shouted: "Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

It has been suggested by one scholar (I don't remember who) that the crowds were likely led by children singing. These children would have been young boys celebrating their bar-mitzvah.

What see though, is not just the singing and the celebration of our Lord coming in holy power with a new kingdom at hand but by entering into this kingdom, by receiving his offer of peace you are given a new life.

2 Corinthians 5:17- "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come!"

What does this new life in Christ supposed to look like?

a. A new life better than the old life.

Very rarely- if ever- you will find someone at the end of their life regretting that they served their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ all of their life. What you might hear is regret that they serve him more diligently.

This new life in Christ is better because you are not a child of hell any longer but a child of God. You no longer live with guilt, shame and condemnation but you are now filled with God's Spirit and have a joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Again I have to refer to Romans 8 and this time verse 6- "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." Let Jesus have full control of even the wrong thoughts that come through your mind. Stamp those things out so that you can live in the fullest of significance in Christ Jesus.

Furthermore, there is…

b. Significance through Christ's life.

My way of doing things have been a failure. But God's way of doing things don't simply bring success to my life but better yet, I receive significance. In the world, I may be somebody by their standards or I may be nobody by my standards or vice versa. However, in Jesus Christ I am now somebody. I love Romans 8:14- "those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God."

As I had explained in a Christmas sermon at Hart Wesleyan, the idea of being a son of God in this context is not about male or female. The truth of that word "son" signifies inheritance. In a few verses later it says, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…" (v. 16)

We are important to God. I am important to God. You are important to God. He wants you to have such a significance as his child through Jesus Christ that he will give you an inheritance that outweighs any earthly inheritance. This means that there is…

c. An eternal life with God forever.

When you became a Christian the very eternal life of God was put into your heart. This life is the life of Christ. No longer is the air I breathe my own but my Lord's. If I should die before I wake I know that I will be in heavenly glory with my Savior.

Conclusion: Has Jesus come into your heart?

Jesus came into Jerusalem that day to usher in a whole new way of living. He brought peace then and today he offers his peace to you. Do you long to have peace in your life? Do you long to have a new life that gives you freedom to truly live without guilt and shame? Do you long to be loved for who you are not for what you do?

Then Jesus is the answer for your soul.

Do you know Jesus Christ personally? Have you accepted him as your personal Lord and Savior?

Admit that you are a sinner. This is important. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All have walked their own way. However, Jesus gives you an opportunity to receive forgiveness of your sins and begins by admitting that you are a sinner.

Believe that Jesus died for your sins. Yes, all of your sins. By admitting that you are a sinner you admit that you have committed sins. Jesus died on the cross so that you can be forgiven and receive a new life.

Confess Jesus as Lord. This is a huge step that changes everything. This means that you recognize Jesus as the one who died for your sins and that he also was raised from the dead. Since Jesus is alive, you are now made alive spiritually by his life.

Do you wish for Jesus to come into your heart today?

"I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2

What Do You Want Jesus to do for You?

2010-03-24T16:30:00.002-04:00

Mark 10:46-52

Sunday March 21, 2010

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

As the crowd tried to hush this man he became louder. He knew his one opportunity of a lifetime was passing by. He knew that if he did not take advantage of the situation presenting itself he would regret this the rest of his life.

To be blind in that society did not get you a double deduction on your tax forms for the IRS. Instead, it got you placed on the side of the road begging for alms in order to have something to eat at the end of the day.

Bartemaeus understood the implication of the moment. He knew this was his chance. This was greater than making free throws to win the game or sinking that 40 foot put to win the Master's. This was the chance to see again. Something he longed for since that fateful moment years before.

And now Jesus was coming. Jesus had healed so many people and had done such wonderful things. Surely Jesus would do something today.

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

And Jesus heard his cry for help and called for him to be brought to him.

And as this blind man stood before Jesus he is asked: "What do you want me to do for you?"

And as Jesus comes through here this morning and if this is your one opportunity of a lifetime for healing what do you want Jesus to do for you today?

Let's understand first of all that a you must:

See your need.

One of the problems of human pride is not seeing one's self the way one ought.

For Bartemaeus, seeing his personal need of sight was not a matter of personal pride. For him, the very thought of being unable to see was horrifying.

It is believed by some scholars that Bartemaeus was able to see before. Many think that when he tells Jesus he wants to see that it is in a reference to being able to once see in the past. Which got me to thinking: how often we might find ourselves looking back to the good old of days of great health and maybe even great wealth. How easy it is to look back to where we once were rather than looking ahead to where God might be leading us.

a. Be ready to do whatever it takes.

Because he was blind, Bartemaeus was ready to do whatever it takes. He was not meekly whispering, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." Instead, he was yelling with desperation.

When I was in college I took voice lessons so that I could be a great singer. Seriously! Well, the great singer thing didn't work out but I did learn some proper breathing techniques when singing. One of the drills that my voice teacher, Drexel, used was to get me to holler at an imaginary man smashing my imaginary sports car with an imaginary sledge hammer. As I attempted to do this Drexel would stop me and get into my face. He would actually make me a tad upset (but because I'm a holiness pastor I really don't know what anger is all about). Finally, I was able to holler properly. I'm not sure Bartemaeus did it right for Drexel but he sure did something right.

This man got Jesus attention. And I think it was because he had...

b. Put Jesus in the right place.

Bartemaeus referred to Jesus as "Son of David." I got at feeling that He knew who Jesus was- that Jesus was the Messiah. I also have a sense that he understood the ramifications of approaching the son of God. I can't help but wonder if Bartemaeus got his spiritual affairs in order. In fact, it would not be unusual for a man in his condition to find himself utterly dependent on God because of his tragic disability. However correct my conjectures, I still can't help but believe that this blind man saw perfectly who Jesus was.

c. Take care of the sin in your life.

I find it therefore essential that a person get their spiritual house in order. If any of us dare approach God for healing then it is imperative that we recognize our personal need of salvation as well as seeking the Lordship of Christ in our life. How can I ask God for healing if I am not willing to let him lead my life? How can I seek favors from him if I am unwilling to surrender areas that are not pleasing to him?

Why should God heal me if it allows me to further a life of sin? Why not be healed so that I can glorify God with my body? (1 Corinthians 6:20)

d. See where the answer lies.

Bartemaeus saw where the answer to his problem was: in Jesus Christ. And so the question begs of us: do we know where to go when we need the healing hand of God in our life?

Obviously, the answer is to come to Jesus. And when you do, you show that you…

2. Recognize the source.

I am convinced that there are three key people in your healing:

First, doctors have their responsibility to heal you. They understand the human body, study medicinal and therapeutic answers and then they give their recommendations. We depend on them to do us right. I didn't go to school for ten years (alright, maybe I did, but not to be a doctor). They did the studying, they understand the answers and they make the big bucks. The medical field has a certain level of responsibility in the healing of your physical problems.

Second, you have a responsibility in healing yourself. When the doctor prescribe medicine to take or recommends that you change a lifestyle habit and you refuse, then you are not taking serious the healing process. For most of us here, to lose weight and exercise would do all of us a world of good. We don't need a doctor to tell us that. But when we don't care for our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit then how can we really complain if something goes wrong? I'm not saying all illnesses and diseases are because of neglect but we have to admit that sometimes it is.

Thirdly, God has a responsibility in the healing process. He has created the human body to heal itself naturally. That is amazing to me. Go out cut a hole in your garden hose, wrap some tape over it and leave it alone for a week. Then go and unwrap the tape, turn on the water and see what happens. The hose will leak. What did you expect? For the hose to heal itself?

The human body can get a cut, bleed like crazy but stick a bandaid on it , check it later and it will likely have quit bleeding.

But further than just the natural process of healing, there is also the supernatural. God can touch the human body by the power of the Spirit and make a person whole. Jesus did this and Christians have been praying this for centuries. Not only instantaneous healing but also a speedier healing recovery.

God holds a certain level of responsibility for healing in your life as one of His children.

And so what do we do with this issue of healing?

3. Put faith into action.

As Christians we witness to the world that we have a Father in heaven who loves us and cares about our deepest hurts and needs. At the very least we testify to a father who at least hears our every prayer. The scriptures say that the righteous man lives by faith. And so I ask you this morning: do you live by faith? What does this mean for us to put our faith into action?

a. By putting faith into action you must make your confession before God.

Is there any sin hidden in your heart? Is your heart and conscience clear between you and God and between you and others?

b. Be sure to apply faith in all the right places of your life.

You might say, "Well, Pastor, shouldn't faith be in every place of my life?" Now you're getting it. The just will live by faith. Therefore, allow your faith in God to lead you in every aspect of your life.

"Without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who seeks him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6

c. Establish daily disciplines in your life.

Make habits of reading your Bible and engaging God in a conversation each day. Do the right things that honor your body. After all, the Bible says that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, we are now instruments of righteousness. We should not be doing things that harm or bodies or make them less healthy.

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power, love and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

d. Live your life not by yourself but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is living a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led life.

e. And remember that scars remind us of God's miracles.

I sat in a Pastoral Counseling class with a woman who had been in a near fatal car accident with her boyfriend in Wisconsin. She testified that because of that accident God not only saved her life but God saved her soul. She was healed of nearly every problem that almost killed her. However, she had one part of her that wasn't healed: her ankle. Sure, she had the church pray for healing but that ankle did not heal. What she did was take it as God's reminder to her of how she got saved. And with tears she shared with our class how she never wanted that healed because with every step that caused that foot to drag, she wanted to remember that her Savior suffered and died to save a woman so unworthy as her.

And so I ask the question again: What is it that you want Jesus to do for you? Are you ready to allow yourself to be touched by the Holy Spirit for healing this morning?

Conclusion: The call to healing.

James 5:13-16

¹³Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. ¹⁴Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

James 5:13-16 remind us that we have an opportunity unlike most unbelievers. When we are in trouble or are suffering we should pray. Duh? Right? And when things are going well sing songs of praise. But if any are sick, they should cal the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.

This is our high privilege as God's people. This is your privilege as a child of the king- to petition the king through this means of grace.

And so I raise the call to all that are present here this morning to come and present yourselves before the Lord for healing. As you do remember four important thoughts behind the idea of healing:

Let God be God. There are simply going to be too many things we don't understand. Just because some people die from cancer does not mean that we don't pray for healing for others with cancer. Just because someone is cured of their diabetes doesn't mean someone else will. Leave these things with yourself in God's hands and let Him do as He sees fit.

Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Let Jesus come alive. Too often as Christians we are simply content to let Jesus have his place in our life but not too big of a place. Well, Christian, if you are serious about being truly made whole then you need to allow Jesus to have not simply a bigger portion of your life but let Jesus come alive and have all of who you are.

Galatians 2:20- I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Let the Holy Spirit lead your life. When Christ is allowed to live in your life you will see your life being led by the Holy Spirit. After all, Jesus was led by the same Holy Spirit. I like how in the letter to the Galatians Paul makes a serious point about Christ living in him. And then near the end of his letter he writes this: Galatians 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

He is making very clear that regardless of what people say about you, regardless of what circumstances you find yourself in and regardless of how difficult life may be, LIVE BY THE SPIRIT.

Healing is not a simple matter of human need and the individual but has a lot to do with the Christian community.

And so let's prepare our hearts as a body of believers for this time of prayer for healing.

What Must I Do?

2010-03-15T09:36:00.002-04:00

Mark 10:17-31

Sunday March 14, 2010

Let me set the scene for you:

Jesus has just welcomed little children with open arms. The disciples have spoken sternly to the parents for bringing their children to Jesus. To them, these kids were't much more than a nuisance to the teacher. To Jesus they were the perfect picture of what faith in God's kingdom is supposed to look like.

Jesus rebukes his guys and then makes that famous declaration: "Anyone who doesn't receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."

His statement declares that we must have faith as a little child. This means believing and trusting God for salvation and then putting feet to our faith and walking as a child would with his hand in his father's hand.

As the crowd was dispersing Jesus begins his journey towards Jerusalem. He is now within a short few weeks of enduring the cross and suffering its shame. Death is beginning to rise on the horizon.

And then a man comes running and falls on his knees in front of Jesus. "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Talk about coming out of nowhere!

My best guess is that this man had been trailing Jesus for some time. I imagine him standing near the edges of the crowds and Jesus taught and healed. And I suppose that he was in the crowd gathered around when Jesus spoke about having the faith of a little child to enter the kingdom of God. And so he comes to Jesus with that burning questions: "What good deed can I do to inherit eternal life?"

This dialogue between Jesus, this young man and the disciples serves us this morning as an object lesson about what it means to not simple accept Jesus as our Savior but to live our life with Jesus as our Lord. In other words, being a Christian is about a whole lot more than just accepting Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.

I'm a Kentucky Wildcat basketball fan. My blood bleeds blue. In fact, when I give blood it is marked as for Kentucky fans only; it's not compatible with anything else. You could say that I am a follower of Kentucky basketball. But I can tell you that I am not fanatical like a lot of the fan base is. You won't find me paying $1000 to sit in the arena yesterday and watch my Kentucky Wildcats put the leather to Tennessee- as much fun as that might be. And if they don't win the championship my life will continue forward. I'm not going to let a bunch of 18 and 19 year-olds determine my moodiness. (I don't think, anyway.) Kentucky Wildcat basketball is not my "god."

But Jesus is- and is supposed to be. That is the heart of the issue Jesus brings to the surface with this occasion. The whole truth about salvation is not just making a decision to receive Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sins. That's only half of the gospel, as the great Chinese theologian Watchman Nee pointed out. Jesus is making clear that to follow Him- to receive his life- is every bit about walking with him in every occasion throughout life: trials, triblulations, sickness, good times, bad times, with money, without money. Jesus enables us by the Holy Spirit to transcend our problems and live for his glory.

For the main character of our story, that was too hard to accept. To the disciples that made salvation impossible- if even a man of every possible advantage can't be saved then who can?

Jesus remarks that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into heave. Wow! Who can be saved?

Understand something about this "camel through the needle" imagery: Jesus meant what he said. The idea that the "eye of the needle" in the Middle East meant a small door inside of a large gate or a narrow pass that forced camels to their knees to get through is nowhere in my research. This idea, according to scholars, was the imaginative creation of tour guides trying to impress their customers. Yes, these places are called the "eye of the needle" now but weren't in Jesus' time. Jesus was serious that money and materialism would be a major hindrance to the rich.

And times have not changed much.

Are you ready for Jesus to point out the hole in your faith this morning? Is there some hang-up to you being totally sold out for Jesus Christ?

With this rich young rule we witness is…

A Desperate Man with a Monumental Question. (v. 17-20)

We refer to the main character of this account as the rich young ruler. The reason being is that he is rich. He is also young and rich. But even more, he is rich, young and a ruler. The three together give us a picture of someone is a very rare specimen- even by today's standards.

We see that he is rich. How he got his wealth is hard to say: inheritance, hard work, swindling or a mix of things. [There are some who would say that you couldn't be young and rich without pulling some kind of shenanigans.]

That he was a ruler is significant. Very likely he is a religious leader of some capacity, perhaps in a synagogue nearby or maybe even a part of the Sanhedrin. Nobody is sure about the specifics. What we are sure of is his desperation. He wants something more.

As he was walking away from Jesus' huddle with the children I wonder if he realized that "if I don't ask Jesus now I will never find out." So…

a. He runs to Jesus and kneels before him.

I think this man had mulled things over for quite some time. Someone of his capacity wasn't going to run to Jesus for an answer to their deepest need- unless they were desperate.

b. He refers to Jesus' deity.

This man was no dummy. By referring to Jesus as "Good teacher" he realized exactly what he was saying and Jesus calls him on it. "No one is good but God." Exactly, seems to be what this young fellow is saying. God has revealed something to him that many others either dismissed out of unbelief or they just simply didn't know to start with.

c. He is searching for something more.

"What must I do to inherit eternal life?" His reference, according to many scholars, was not so much about the hereafter- as important as they might be to us- but about a higher more life of quality.

He has everything. He is young- how many of us wish that we were a little bit younger? He was rich- who wouldn't want a little bit more money than they already have? He was a ruler- who doesn't want to be in charge rather than have someone else telling us what to do?

But something is missing. With everything that he has and achieved there seems to be something still unfulfilling about life. Jesus suggests to him, as a test I am sure, to be obedient to the commands.

d. He is obedient to everything.

This guy is the real deal. If he weren't I would think one of the writers about this story would have indicated so. He obeys all the commands, especially- according to his assessment- the ones dealing with people.

Jesus understood this. This young fellow either is already living a perfect life or isn't willing to admit that there is a problem.

e. …But he still lacks something.

Jesus then puts his finger right into the hole of his faith. There is something that is missing and Jesus has a knack for pointing out these kinds of things with us. He does so with this man.

And so the question begs to be asked of us this morning: Are you lacking something in your desire to walk with Jesus?

I'm convinced that God's work of making us holy is incremental. Sometimes, some are called on to surrender more than others and faster than others. I've seen too much evidence of this. Furthermore, it seems to be that as we grow in the grace of God, he moves us in a certain direction that may not always seem logical to other people.

There's something else that I'm thinking: How we respond to each challenge given to us by our Lord determines the next steps of our life.

For this rich young ruler the next step may be a turning point in his life. He soon discovers that he has encountered…

2. A Loving Savior with a Colossal Demand. (v. 21-24)

Mark tells us that Jesus loved him. This idea of love was not because this man was a goody-two-shoes but because he wanted to love him. Jesus' character is to love. But in this case his love for him must have really shown. Jesus loved him with what we call "agape" love- an unconditional love. If this fellow figured he impressed Jesus with his obedience to the commandments since his bar-mitzvah he was mistaken. Jesus loved him beyond that just like Jesus loves you beyond anything you do right or wrong.

Jesus looks at you right now and loves beyond your obedience, your disobedience, what you have and what you don't have.

And so what Jesus tells him and what he tells you is not out of trying to make you more lovable to him, but because he loves you so much that he wants you learn to love him more than anything else- just like he loves you more than anything else.

As Max Lucado wrote: "God loves you just the way you but he doesn't want you to stay that way; He wants you to be like Jesus." He wants us to follow him so that we can be discipled to be like him.

Jesus tells the man three main directives:

a. "Sell all you have."

Again, sell all you have. Perhaps for this fellow that would be so hard to do except the next part really gets to him. "Sell all you have" and do what?

b. "Give it to the poor."

Let's face a reality here: giving all of your income to the poor rarely- if ever- brings a good rate of return on your investment. I'm not financial guru but I can tell you that the federal government has been investing in the poor in a variety of help for the needy programs for nearly fifty years and the poor are still with us.

c. "Come follow me."

Here's a guy who comes to Jesus and says, "What do I do to get eternal life?" Jesus said, "Give your money away." Is that the right answer?

Can you imagine being a good businessman- such as this young man could have been- and hearing the sales pitch Jesus is giving you. "Sell all you have, give to the poor and then follow Jesus." What kind of investment is this? So I get treasure in heaven. Tell that to my investors!

But what is Jesus saying? The young man said, "I want eternal life." Jesus said, "Yeah, that's fine, but we are going to deal with something else first. Are you willing to follow me?"

He could have asked him to do anything. But instead he says: "Sell all and give to the poor."

Why did Jesus do this? Because He knew that money was the god of this man's life. And so he says, "Let's deal with the heart of the matter here. I will show you the way but are you willing to give up everything, if I ask you?"

He was no and he went away very sad.

I like how our Calvinist friend John MacArthur put it: Salvation is an exchange of all that I am for all that He is. It's saying, "I won't follow me, I'll follow you."

The man went away a broken and sad man because he didn't want to follow Jesus Christ. Instead he wanted to rule his own life. Jesus said, "Keep the commandments," and he said, "I've kept them all!" But he wouldn't submit to the authority of Christ- the greatest of the commands of loving God with all of one's being.

Look at your life. Do you follow Christ? Do you want to follow Christ? Do you want to want to follow Christ?

It's like Teresa Avila who once said: "I don't want to love Jesus; I want to want to love Jesus."

The truly saved "Love Christ and hate sin." They desire to live a life that goes beyond themselves and their desires.

Jesus told the adulterous woman in John 8:11- "Go now and leave your life of sin."

The message of salvation can't be clearer: Christians are called to a life of holiness not to a life of sinfulness. Furthermore, this holiness cannot tolerate selfishness. Christians are called to follow Jesus and his ways, not the devil and his ways.

Dr. John Oswalt makes this observation: "Not only do we need not sin, and we must not sin, we dare not sin. [Why?] For the wages of sin is death. Here, Paul is writing to the believer. Why can we Christians not continue in sin? Because the wages of sin is death! You cannot earn eternal life; that is a gift from God. But you can earn eternal death if you continue in sin after supposedly accepting Christ's offer." (Called to be Holy pp. 111-112)

Yikes! In other words, as a Christian you cannot ultimately have one foot in two kingdoms. As John Wesley aptly pointed out:

The will of God is a path leading straight to God. The will of man is another path: it leads from God. If we walk in the one, we must necessarily quit the other. We cannot walk in both.

2 Corinthians 5:17- "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

So what does this mean when the rubber our faith meets the road of our life?

3. A Salvation Call that Doesn't Make sense. (v. 25-31)

Now you all probably knew by now that I'm probably not the sharpest knife in the drawer. But there is something nagging me, here. Jesus tells this man to sell all of his possessions, give the money he gets to the poor and then come follow him. And then hardly a few weeks later (according to my estimate of time) a woman named Mary interrupts his supper with some friends by breaking open a jar of expensive perfume, pours it on his feet and then wipes them with her hair. (John 12:1-8)

Are you kidding me?!

Why would Jesus tell this man to sell all he's got, give the money to the poor and then a few weeks later he allows a woman to come and pour a year's wages on his feet? Judas Iscariot makes a valid point, in my estimation that this could have sold and the money given to the poor. After all, that is what Jesus seemed to have indicated to this rich young ruler. (And then Judas is accused of being a thief at heart.)

It doesn't make sense. Jesus appears to be inconsistent.

And that is exactly what I've been learning in life. To follow Jesus is not following a particular recipe. There are plenty of Christians over the centuries who have suffered mercilessly for following Christ. There are plenty of Christians who have suffered disease, sicknesses, loved ones dying, financial despair, and everything else.

Some Christians benefit financially and seem to live a comfortable life. Other Christians struggle just to get their prescriptions and have to gauge whether they are sick enough or hurting enough to go to a doctor.

Some Christians seem to have perfect children who grow up to love God and yet others have children who walk away from God when they grow up.

Some seem to give up everything to follow God and don't reap very many financial blessings because of it while others seem to have surrendered little and are reaping bountiful financial blessings.

And this is what I have concluded and what Jesus' message seems to be here: Follow me and leave the logic to God.

That's it. Because you will go crazy trying to figure this thing out.

a. Following Jesus can lead you anywhere. We only limit God by not allowing Him total access to our life. Jesus must have a backstage pass to who you really are when you aren't on stage.

b. Following Jesus can cause you do anything. This following Jesus is a scary deal. I would have never dreamed of pastoring a church and leading people in the ways of Jesus. It's scary a lot of times. But I know that with my hand in Jesus' hand I can do anything for him!

c. Following Jesus will require you to "sell" everything. There is a price to pay for being a Christian. Friends won't understand so figure that you will lose some friends. Family members won't understand so figure that some family members will think you're crazy. But when you are willing to give up everything to follow Christ the blessed Holy Spirit will give you the power to do just that.

d. Following Jesus will not always make sense. To walk with Jesus won't always seem logical to others- even other Christians- but it will make sense to you in that moment. This is more than just taking a red pill or a blue pill; it's a conscious choice to believe that Jesus saves a person from all sin and sets their life in a completely new direction.

Conclusion: Are you ready to sell all to follow Christ?

What is God speaking to you about today? Are you ready to commit all of yourself to Jesus Christ this morning?

Hymn #516- Search Me, O God